Leigh, Nebraska: Woman Killed, Three Injured in Head-On Crash on 563rd Avenue
Deputies were called at 7:44 a.m. on Thursday to 563rd Avenue, about seven miles northwest of Leigh, where a southbound SUV and a northbound sedan collided nearly head-on at the crest of a hill. Christina Brandl of Humphrey was pronounced dead at the scene, and a Leigh area woman and her two children were taken to hospital.
Key points
- A woman from Humphrey was killed and a mother and her two children were injured on Thursday morning in a head-on crash on a rural road in Stanton County, northwest of Leigh, the Stanton County…
- Deputies were called at 7:44 a.m. to a two-vehicle crash on 563rd Avenue, about seven miles northwest of Leigh.
- The driver of the sedan, Christina Brandl of Humphrey, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A woman from Humphrey was killed and a mother and her two children were injured on Thursday morning in a head-on crash on a rural road in Stanton County, northwest of Leigh, the Stanton County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies were called at 7:44 a.m. to a two-vehicle crash on 563rd Avenue, about seven miles northwest of Leigh. A southbound SUV driven by a 35-year-old woman from rural Leigh collided nearly head-on with a northbound sedan at the crest of a hill on the country road, the sheriff's office said.
The driver of the sedan, Christina Brandl of Humphrey, was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy has been scheduled in Omaha. Brandl's age was reported differently by the two stations carrying the sheriff's account, and it is not given here until the sheriff's office settles it in a further release.
Three taken to hospital
The SUV driver and her two children were taken to a local hospital for treatment, and the SUV driver was later transferred to Omaha for further treatment, KCAU reported. The sheriff's office said the woman and both children were unrestrained. Their conditions were not released on Thursday.
Multiple airbags deployed in both vehicles, and both vehicles were destroyed in the crash, the sheriff's office said.
Leigh Fire and Rescue and Clarkson Fire and Rescue responded to the scene along with Stanton County Emergency Management. Norfolk Fire and Rescue also responded and intercepted with advanced life support. A LifeNet medical helicopter was summoned but did not land at the accident scene, KOLN reported.
Road reopened, investigation open
The roadway reopened after about two hours, KCAU reported. The crash is being investigated by the Stanton County Sheriff's Office, and no cause had been released on Thursday.
Leigh is a town in Stanton County, and 563rd Avenue is a country road through farm country northwest of the town. Thursday's crash was the second fatal crash in northeast Nebraska reported by Omaha and Sioux City stations this week, after three people were injured in a Tuesday afternoon crash near South Bend in Cass County.
What has not been released
The sheriff's office named only Brandl on Thursday. The name of the SUV driver, the names and ages of the two children, and the conditions of the three people taken to hospital were not released in the accounts carried by KCAU and KOLN. No cause for the crash had been given, and the sheriff's office said the investigation is ongoing. A photo released by the sheriff's office and carried by both stations shows the scene on 563rd Avenue in Stanton County.
Timeline
- Nov 5, 2026The Stanton County Sheriff's Office is called at 7:44 a.m. to a two-vehicle crash on 563rd Avenue, about seven miles northwest of Leigh, where a southbound SUV and a northbound sedan collided nearly head-on at the crest of a hill.
- Nov 5, 2026Christina Brandl of Humphrey, the driver of the sedan, is pronounced dead at the scene. The SUV driver, a 35-year-old woman from rural Leigh, and her two children are taken to a local hospital, and the SUV driver is later transferred to Omaha for further treatment.
- Nov 5, 2026The roadway reopens after about two hours. The Stanton County Sheriff's Office says its investigation is ongoing and an autopsy has been scheduled in Omaha.