Lakota, IA — Two boys were seriously injured Tuesday afternoon when their car collided with a Union Pacific train near Lakota and later caught fire.

The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened around 3:53 p.m. on 190th Avenue northeast of Lakota. A 2004 Chevrolet Impala driven by a 16-year-old from the Lakota-Buffalo Center area, with a 12-year-old passenger, was traveling south when it struck an eastbound train at a railroad crossing.

A passing motorist, Alex Horak of Lakota, witnessed the crash, called 911, and pulled both boys from the vehicle before it became fully engulfed in flames. Officials noted the burning car came to rest just feet from railcars carrying ethanol.

Both boys suffered head and upper-body injuries. The driver was airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, while the passenger was flown to Rochester after first being taken to Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona. Both remain hospitalized.

Multiple agencies assisted at the scene, and the crash remains under investigation.