On Tuesday morning at about 8:12 a.m. the Stanton County Sheriff’s office responded to and investigated a two vehicle head-on collision that occurred just east of 568th Avenue on U.S. Hwy 275 or about 13 miles East of Norfolk. The accident occurred when an eastbound pickup encountered a deer on the highway in their lane and struck the deer and then veered into the westbound lane striking a westbound pickup pushing both vehicle off the roadway. The driver of the eastbound pickup, Norma Zuniga, 47, of Norfolk and her adult son were trapped in their wreckage and were extricated using hydraulic equipment and were transported to FRHS in Norfolk by Norfolk and Stanton Fire and Rescue units. The driver of the westbound pickup, Allen Guenther, 55, of West Point was also transported to the hospital by Pilger Fire and Rescue. A medical helicopter was requested, but was unable to respond due to weather conditions. Both pickups were total losses and seatbelts and airbags did deploy. Stanton County Emergency Management and the Nebraska State Patrol assisted with traffic control at the scene that blocked a portion of the highway for nearly an hour.
Earlier Tuesday morning at about 7:09 a.m. the Stanton County Sheriff’s office responded to and investigated a two vehicle accident involving a semi-tractor trailer and pickup about seven miles South of Stanton on Hwy 57 that sent the pickup driver to the hospital for treatment. This accident occurred when a northbound pickup missed its turn and began to back up on the highway and was struck by a northbound semi. The driver of the pickup Jorge Estrada-Sandoval, 53, of Columbus was transported to FRHS by Stanton Fire and Rescue for treatment of possible internal injuries. The driver of the semi was not injured. Both vehicles suffered major damage and seatbelts were in use.
While at this accident the Sheriff’s office responded about ¾ mile north of the scene on Hwy 57 to where a Fed Ex van struck a deer on Hwy 57 and it blocked a portion of the northbound lane. The driver was shaken up in the collision, but declined medical treatment. Hwy 57 was blocked at this location for about 20 minutes as the van was moved and secured.
