Smoky conditions on Highway 385 are believed to have played a role in the death of a Hemingford man on Friday morning.
On July 30, at approximately 8 a.m., the Hemingford and Chadron Fire Departments responded to a call at 8 a.m. on Highway 385, 25 miles south of Chadron. The Dawes County Coroner was contacted to the scene to investigate an unattended death.
An investigation revealed that 72-year-old Chester Ansley, of Hemingford, stopped his pickup on the shoulder of the highway, according to a press release from the Dawes County Attorney’s Office. Ansley exited the vehicle to retrieve an item that fell out of his vehicle.
According to the press release, “Ansley was then struck by a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser that was traveling north on Hwy 385 in ‘smokey conditions’ due to the recent western wildfires.”
Burley Shumpert, of Chadron, was driving the PT Cruiser. No charges are pending at this time, however, an investigation is still underway. Officials were assisted by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office.