What happened
A 21-year-old Buena Vista University student was killed Monday afternoon, October 26, when the car she was riding in collided with a van on Iowa Highway 110 near 85th Avenue, by the Storm Lake Municipal Airport about a mile south of Storm Lake in Buena Vista County.
According to the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office, a southbound Ford Taurus and a northbound Ford Transit van collided. A deputy arrived shortly after the crash, at about 1:31 p.m., and found that occupants of one vehicle were trapped. He called for EMS and fire crews. Sheriff Kory Elston said one occupant had to be freed by mechanical means. (Storm Lake Radio; KICD / NW Iowa Now) Highway 110 was closed in both directions while crews worked the scene. (KTIV)
Kaylee Nachtigal, 21, of Dickens, was riding in the back seat of the Taurus. She was taken to Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake, where she was pronounced dead. She was a BVU freshman studying education, a member of the university's women's wrestling team, and a 2024 graduate of Spencer High School. (Storm Lake Radio; KTIV)
The Taurus's 18-year-old driver, from Angleton, Texas, and its 19-year-old front-seat passenger, from Battle Creek, both BVU students, were taken to the Storm Lake hospital and then flown to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The van's driver and only occupant, a 53-year-old Newcastle, Nebraska, man, was taken to the Storm Lake hospital by a deputy. Their conditions have not been released. (KICD / NW Iowa Now; KCAU 9; Sioux City Journal)
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and no citations or charges have been reported. The Iowa State Patrol, Iowa DNR, Storm Lake police and fire, Alta Fire, BVRMC Ambulance and the Iowa DOT also responded. (Storm Lake Radio)
Our condolences
To Kaylee's parents, her family, her teammates and her friends in Dickens, Spencer and Storm Lake: we are so deeply sorry. She was 21, studying to be a teacher, and competing in a sport that asks everything of the people in it. That is a young woman who was building a life for others, and it was taken in an instant on a Monday afternoon.
BVU President Brian Lenzmeier shared the news with the campus that day, and the university said it is "heartbroken." It is offering counseling, and it held a moment of silence before Tuesday's women's soccer match. (KTIV; Storm Lake Radio) We are also praying for the two students and the Newcastle man still recovering, and for the deputies and rescuers who worked to free the people trapped at the scene.
Safety context
As of Thursday, October 29, the Iowa Department of Transportation had counted 238 traffic deaths on Iowa roads so far in 2026, up from 227 on the same date last year. Behind each one is a family like Kaylee's.
Two-lane state highways like Highway 110 carry fast traffic in both directions, often with intersections, farm drives and airport and business entrances along the way. As fall harvest traffic and earlier sunsets arrive:
- Slow down near intersections and entrances, even on a highway that feels familiar. A few miles per hour gives you time to react.
- Put the phone away. On a two-lane road, a two-second glance can put a car across the center line.
- Buckle up in every seat, every ride. Back-seat passengers are as exposed in a crash as anyone in front.
The rights of families after a crash like this
In general terms, when a passenger is killed in a collision between two vehicles, her family's rights do not depend on her doing anything wrong. A passenger does not control either vehicle. Under Iowa's comparative-fault law, Iowa Code § 668.3, fault is divided among the people whose conduct caused the crash, and an injured person's own recovery is reduced or barred only by her own share of fault.
As to this crash specifically, and only as possibilities based on the reporting:
- Claims against either driver, or both. The investigation has not said what caused the crash. Depending on what investigators find, the family may have a wrongful-death claim against the insurance covering the Taurus, the van, or both. Iowa law provides that a claim survives the death of the person who held it, and Iowa Code § 633.336 governs how wrongful-death damages are paid to her estate and family. These claims are almost always paid by insurance, not by the people involved, which matters when the other driver is a classmate and friend.
- Her parents' own claim. Iowa specifically allows parents to recover for the loss of services, companionship and society resulting from the death of an adult child. Kaylee was 21, and that right belongs to her parents directly.
- The family's own coverage. Every Iowa auto policy must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless the policyholder rejected it in writing. If the at-fault driver's insurance turns out to be too small for a loss like this, a policy covering Kaylee or her household may add coverage, depending on its terms.
Iowa generally allows two years to bring a claim for injury or death under Iowa Code § 614.1(2). The evidence that decides fault, including the vehicles' event data recorders, the scene measurements and any dash or business camera video, can be lost much sooner. No citations or charges have been reported, and the investigation is ongoing.
Learn more about your rights: you may want to read about wrongful-death claims after a fatal crash, about how injured passengers and families are compensated after a collision, and about how Iowa's fault rules and deadlines work.
How I help families in crisis
A family that loses a daughter this suddenly is not thinking about insurance policies or crash reports, and they shouldn't have to. My job is to help families through exactly this kind of crisis. I 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 months ahead.
In a case like this, that means getting the sheriff's crash report and the State Patrol reconstruction, preserving both vehicles and their data before they are salvaged, finding every insurance policy that may apply, including the family's own, and handling the insurers so the family can grieve. It also means being careful and respectful when the people involved are her classmates.
Over my career I have recovered more than $24 million for injured people and their families, earned countless five-star client reviews and the respect of fellow attorneys, and been recognized as Best of Omaha for personal injury in 2025 and 2026.
Whenever your family is ready, I'm here to listen. That first talk is free and carries no obligation, and if you choose me to represent you, I collect a fee only if I win.
Frequently asked questions
- What happened in the crash on Highway 110 near Storm Lake, Iowa?
- On Monday afternoon, October 26, 2026, a southbound Ford Taurus and a northbound Ford Transit van collided on Iowa Highway 110 near 85th Avenue, by the Storm Lake Municipal Airport about a mile south of Storm Lake. A 21-year-old Buena Vista University student riding in the Taurus's back seat was killed, and three others were hurt.
- What are the rights of families after a crash like this?
- A passenger's family does not have to show she did anything wrong. Depending on what investigators find, the family may have wrongful-death claims against either driver's insurance, Iowa lets parents recover for the death of an adult child, and the family's own uninsured or underinsured coverage may apply.
- How does Frank Younes help families after something like this?
- Frank takes the legal burden off the family: obtaining the crash report and reconstruction, preserving the vehicles and their data, finding every insurance policy that may apply, and handling the insurers so the family can grieve. The first conversation is free, and there is no fee unless he wins.
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