Lawsuit filed against State of Iowa over 2020 Clear Lake State Park death settled

CLEAR LAKE — A lawsuit filed against the state of Iowa by the mother of a woman run over by a tractor and killed at Clear Lake State Park has been settled.

The State of Iowa and the driver of the tractor James Rickerl were being sued for wrongful death by the mother of Mercedes Kohlhardt. On July 28th 2020, Kohlhardt was sunbathing at the park and Rickerl, who was an employee of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, was driving a tractor as part of work being done at the park. The lawsuit claimed Rickerl left the tractor alone without engaging the brake and it rolled down the hill, hitting Kohlhardt and causing her several ultimately fatal injuries.

The lawsuit accused Rickerl of being negligent in his actions as an employee of the state and claimed negligence caused the death of Kohlhardt. The lawsuit was seeking monetary damages for wrongful death, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and burial expenses.

A pre-trial conference was scheduled to be held this past Friday, but a document filed by District Judge Gregg Rosenbladt on Friday cancelled that hearing, stating that the court has been advised that the matter is settled