Skydiver incident Saturday morning

On Aug. 22, 2026, at 1122 hours, the Knoxville Fire Department was dispatched, along with Marion County Sherriff’s Office and Knoxville Police Department, to a skydiver who crashed into a field somewhere between Hwy 14 and 130 th St. Knoxville City Fire Department responded one EMS company, one command officer, and one UTV. Mercy AirMed was placed on standby at Knoxville Airport, as that was the closest and safest landing zone for the helicopter to land.

Crews arrived in the area, and along with MCSO and KPD officers, started to search through the heavy timber and standing corn looking for the skydiver. Crews attempted to gain access off 130th St., around Oregon Drive, but were unable to access the skydiver from that location. Crews relocated to the 1600 block of Highway 14. KFD Paramedics were able to reach the skydiver on foot and started providing ALS care, while other crew members and law enforcement officers to make access for the UTV to get to the area where the skydiver was located. 

The UTV crew was able to get to the aera the skydiver was located, where they loaded the skydiver into a stokes basket and transported from the site of the crash to the ambulance located on Highway 14. The skydiver was transported to Mercy AirMed helicopter at the airport and transferred to a Des Moines Trauma Center in critical condition.

Knoxville Fire Department was assisted on scene by Knoxville PD, Marion County Sherriff’s Office, several surrounding farmers/landowners with UTVs that were in the area when the crash occurred.