A Hemingford man was killed shortly after 8:00 Friday morning when he was hit by a car while retrieving an item from Hwy 385 about 25-miles south of Chadron. 75-year old Chet Ansley was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dawes County Attorney/Coroner Vance Haug says Ansley had stopped his pickup on the shoulder of the highway and got out to retrieve an item that had fallen out of the back of his pickup.
An oncoming driver who saw the accident told investigators that Ansley was then hit by a northbound car in what was described as “smoky conditions” from wildfires in the western U-S.
Haug says the initial investigation and preliminary tests indicate the Chadron man who struck Ansley did NOT have drugs or alcohol in his system.
There are currently no charges pending, but the investigation is ongoing, including an on-scene accident reconstructionist. Haug says he’ll do a further review of the evidence after all the reports are in.