On Thursday afternoon just before 3: 00 p.m. an accident occurred on Hwy 15 and 822nd Road on the Stanton/Colfax County line, northeast of Clarkson that claimed the life of a 19-year-old Schuyler youth.
The investigation by the Stanton and Colfax County Sheriff’s offices indicate that a Toyota SUV was
northbound on Hwy 15 when it suddenly turned left off the highway towards 822nd Road and directly into the path of a southbound pickup that had no time to attempt to avoid the collision.
The driver of the SUV, Jeyco Gonzalez of Schuyler was ejected from his vehicle and pronounced dead on scene.
The driver of the southbound pickup, Tyler Regan, 24 of O’Neill was extricated from the wreckage by Clarkson Fire and Recue and transported to the West Point hospital where he was stabilized and then taken by medical helicopter to Bergan Mercy hospital in Omaha for treatment of his severe injuries.
The accident scene blocked a portion of Hwy 15 for more than three hours.
Seatbelts and airbags did deploy in the Regan pickup.
The collision caused the front transaxle of the SUV to detach from the frame and it ended up in a ditch off the roadway.
Gonzalez was operating the SUV with a revoked license and authorities are still trying to determine if alcohol may have been a contributing factor.
Stanton County Emergency Management also assisted at the scene.
Both vehicles were destroyed in the high speed impact.
