City-owned Caterpillar strikes parked car

The Winneshiek county Sheriff's Department says a City of Decorah Street Department employee struck a parked car Monday morning while operating a Caterpillar.

Cory Syverson was driving the Caterpillar on Mound Street, removing debris from the street.  Because the bucket of the Caterpillar was lifted, he could not see a car owned by Jess Meehan of Waterloo that was properly parked on the south side of the street.  Syverson struck the parked car, causing $6,000 in damamges.

Because Syverson was working as a City of Decorah employee at the time of the accident, the accident was investigated by the Winneshiek county Sheriff's Department, not the City of Decorah Police Department.  The deputy investigating the accident decided that no traffic charges should be filed.