What happened
Ronald Asmus, an 86-year-old Scottsbluff man, died Friday, October 9, after a pickup truck struck him while he was walking across Broadway in the crosswalk at 23rd Street in Scottsbluff.
According to the Scottsbluff Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of 23rd Street and Broadway on a report of a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian. Police say a 1991 Nissan pickup was traveling south on Broadway toward 23rd Street when it struck Asmus, who was reportedly crossing Broadway within the crosswalk at the time. Officers found him lying in the southbound lanes of Broadway, with the pickup stopped just south of him. He was taken to Regional West Medical Center, where he died. (KNOP News 2 via WOWT)
Police identified the pickup's driver as 19-year-old Brody Gustafson. He has not been charged; police say charges are pending the outcome of the investigation. Broadway was closed for about four hours while officers carried out an accident reconstruction. Police released Asmus's name after his family was notified. (WOWT)
Our condolences
Ronald Asmus was 86 years old. He had lived through more than eight decades of Nebraska history, and on Friday he was doing something as ordinary as crossing the street in the place set aside for people on foot. To his family, his friends and everyone in Scottsbluff who knew him: we are deeply sorry. Losing someone suddenly, without a chance to say goodbye, is its own particular kind of grief. We are keeping you all in our prayers.
We also thank the Scottsbluff police officers and the medical team at Regional West who tried to save him.
Safety context
Nebraska is, by the numbers, one of the safer states in the country for people on foot. NHTSA's Pedestrians: 2023 Data report found Nebraska had the nation's lowest pedestrian fatality rate in 2023 (0.66 per 100,000 people), with 13 pedestrians killed statewide. Nationally, 7,314 pedestrians were killed that year.
Older adults face a heavier share of that risk. NHTSA's Older Population: 2023 Data report found that 19 percent of people 65 and older killed in traffic crashes in 2023 were pedestrians (1,533 of 7,891), and that traffic deaths among pedestrians 65 and older rose 56 percent from 2014 to 2023. An older body is far less able to survive the impact of a vehicle, even at city speeds.
Broadway is one of Scottsbluff's busiest streets. A few reminders for everyone who drives it:
- A crosswalk means slow down and look. Scan both sides of every crosswalk as you approach, not just the lane ahead.
- Give older walkers time. Someone crossing slowly is not in your way. They are exactly where the law says they should be.
- Watch for low autumn sun. In October, morning and late-afternoon glare can hide a person in a crosswalk. If you can't see, slow down until you can.
The rights of families after a crash like this
In general terms, when a person is killed because a driver was negligent, Nebraska law allows the personal representative of the person's estate to bring a wrongful death claim for the benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-810, that claim generally must be filed within two years of the death. It can include the loss of the person's companionship, counsel and care, and the estate may also recover medical and funeral expenses and any conscious pain and suffering before death. A person's age does not erase the value of their life to the people who loved them.
As to this crash specifically: Nebraska law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians crossing in a crosswalk where traffic signals are not in place or not operating, by bringing the vehicle to a complete stop (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-6,153). The reporting does not say whether the intersection of 23rd Street and Broadway is signal-controlled or what any signal showed at the time. If the police account that Asmus was crossing within the crosswalk is accurate, his family may have a wrongful death claim against the driver of the pickup, and possibly against the pickup's owner if someone else owned it. News reports do not say who owns the truck.
Nebraska's comparative fault statute, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-21,185.09, reduces a recovery by the injured person's own share of fault and bars it only if that share equals or exceeds the fault of the others. Insurers sometimes argue a pedestrian "stepped out" or "wasn't visible." Evidence answers those arguments, so it should be preserved early: the police reconstruction, any signal timing records, nearby business cameras along Broadway, and witness accounts. If the driver's insurance is limited, the family should also review Asmus's own auto policy; under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 44-6408, Nebraska auto policies include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which, depending on the policy's terms, may apply even when the insured person was on foot.
Learn more about your rights: families affected by this crash may want to read about a pedestrian's rights after being hit in a crosswalk, about what a Nebraska wrongful death claim can recover, and about representation for Scottsbluff and Gering families.
How I help families in crisis
When a parent or grandparent is killed crossing the street, the family is left with shock, a police investigation still underway, and an insurance company that may already be calling. My job is to help families through exactly this kind of crisis: to take the stress from their shoulders, take up the shield to protect and advocate for the rights of the person they lost, and guide them through the difficult days ahead.
That means getting the police report and the reconstruction findings and following any charging decision so the family isn't left guessing. It means moving quickly to preserve camera footage, signal data and witness accounts. It means finding every policy that might apply, including the family's own, and handling the adjusters so no one is rushed into a statement or an early settlement while planning a funeral.
Over my career I have recovered more than $23 million for injured people and grieving families, earned countless five-star client reviews and the respect of fellow attorneys, and been honored with Best of Omaha recognition for personal injury in 2025 and 2026. I represent families across Nebraska, from Omaha to the Panhandle.
If your family would like to talk, I'm here whenever the time feels right. There's no charge to sit down with me and no obligation afterward, and I collect no fee unless I win.
Frequently asked questions
- What happened in the pedestrian crash at Broadway and 23rd Street in Scottsbluff?
- On Friday, October 9, 2026, a 1991 Nissan pickup traveling south on Broadway in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, struck an 86-year-old man who police say was crossing Broadway within the crosswalk at 23rd Street. He died at Regional West Medical Center. Charges are pending the outcome of the police investigation.
- What are the rights of families after a crash like this?
- If a driver's negligence caused the death, Nebraska lets the personal representative bring a wrongful death claim for the spouse and next of kin, generally within two years. Nebraska law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and the family's own uninsured or underinsured coverage may also apply.
- How does Frank Younes help families after something like this?
- Frank lifts the legal burden from the family: following the police investigation and any charging decision, preserving camera footage, signal data and witness accounts, finding every insurance policy that may apply, and dealing with adjusters. The first conversation is free, and there is no fee unless he wins.
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