Couple who crashed due to object on rural Nebraska highway waits for results of sheriff’s investigation

BENNINGTON, Neb. (WOWT) – A Nebraska couple is still waiting for answers from investigators and their insurance company.

It’s been more than a month since several drivers reported large objects on a busy Douglas County highway. Sheriff’s deputies continue to investigate the incidents as intentional, but so far, no arrests have been made.

After swerving to avoid what appeared to be a TV in the highway and then crashing down into a ravine, Garrison and Skylar Beach escaped with their lives.

But six weeks later, life has been stressful.

“It isn’t a harmless thing that happened,” Garrison said. “It’s had a huge impact on us financially and in other aspects.”

The couple believes their insurance provider is waiting on the outcome of the sheriff’s investigation for a final settlement, but in the meantime, the Beaches’ out-of-pocket costs are estimated at $6,500, including a $1,500 deductible and the price of a used car they had to buy, which is cost more than the replacement value of the crashed Toyota Camry.

On top of all that, the couple says they have an expense they didn’t expect. They received a bill from the Nebraska Department of Transportation for repairs to the guardrail cable they wrecked while trying to avoid the object in the middle of the road.

“It’s the cherry on top, I guess,” Skylar Beach said. “After all this, we got the bill for the guardrail, but hopefully our insurance can help us out with that.”

Douglas County Sheriff’s Captain Eric Sellers told First Alert 6 last month that several incidents of objects sitting on Highway 36 near Bennington appear intentional to have been intentionally placed there.

“We have a subject of interest we’re looking at now in the case,” Capt. Sellers said in December.

A 22-year-old Bennington man has been questioned, but without a confession, investigators must prove he intentionally put the objects in the roadway.

“I feel like the responsible part should have to make it right for people, especially like us, where it’s putting us out thousands of dollars,” Garrison Beach said.

The Beaches are a single-income couple right now as Garrison is a full-time student studying to be a physician’s assistant.

“We just wish whoever did this will come forward and just make it right for us, because we’re at a point in our lives where this has really effected us financially,” Skylar said.

Capt. Sellers says the investigation into the highway objects is ongoing and no more similar incidents have been reported. As for the guardrail, the district engineer says that’s standard procedure but most times a driver’s insurance will cover the bill.

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