Woman killed in ATV accident

VALPARAISO, Neb. - A weekend accident has claimed the life of a Valparaiso area native.

Brenda Strizek, 21, originally of Valparaiso and who was living in Wahoo, was killed when the four-wheeler, which she and three other people were riding, went off an embankment along a bike trail.

According to Saunders County Sheriff Kevin Stukenholtz, the accident occurred shortly after midnight on Aug. 9 on a bike trail west of Valparaiso.

Deputies arrived on the scene near the intersection of county roads 30 and C and immediately spotted two severely injured females and one male with minor injuries.

Strizek was transported to Bryan LGH West Hospital in Lincoln, where she was pronounced dead.

Two other passengers, Autumn Kadavy, 21, of Valparaiso and Nicholas Benes, 22, of Valparaiso, were also transported to Bryan LGH West.

As of Monday, Stukenholtz said that Kadavy remained at the hospital in critical but stable condition. Benes' condition was unknown, but Stukenholtz said his injuries appeared to be relatively minor.

The driver of the four-wheeler, Miles Virgil, 24, of Davey, was not located the night of the accident.

"The driver was not at the scene and we were unable to locate him until 11 a.m. Sunday morning," explained Stukenholtz. "There was a massive search effort."

Volunteer fire fighters from Ceresco, Valparaiso and Raymond aided in the search for Virgil, as did the Saunders County Sheriff's Department and the Nebraska State Patrol. The Nebraska State Patrol helicopter was also called in to search up and down the trail.

Virgil was located by a group of individuals that had gathered at the accident site the following day. He reportedly came up to the group and told them he was injured.

Rescue personnel were called in, and Virgil was transported to the same hospital that his companions had been taken to.

Stukenholtz said it is unknown where Virgil had been in the hours between the accident and his discovery.

Virgil's condition was unknown as of Monday

According to Stukenholtz, investigation into the incident revealed that, prior to the accident, Virgil, Strizek and the others had attended a block party in Valparaiso.

Towards the end of the party, they all climbed onto a four-wheeler that Virgil had borrowed and began traveling along the bike trail, in spite of the fact that motor vehicles were not allowed on the trail.

At the point where the trail comes close to the intersection of County Roads 30 and C, Virgil lost control of the four-wheeler. It left the trail, striking an embankment and several other objects before coming to a rest. All four passengers were ejected from the vehicle.

"We believe alcohol was a factor in this accident," added Stukenholtz.

On Monday, Stukenholtz said that Virgil would be facing charge of felony motor-vehicle homicide upon his release from the hospital. Other charges may also be pending.