2017 ATV Death Lawsuit Settled

2017 ATV Death Lawsuit Settled

After nearly three years, a wrongful death lawsuit involving the 2017 all-terrain vehicle death of a Yankton woman has been settled out of court.

Jessi Leigh Anderson, who was 21 at the time, was killed in a June 29th, 2017, collision in Cedar County. She was a passenger on the ATV driven by her boyfriend, Derrik Nelson, who failed to negotiate a T-intersection.

Nelson was charged with drinking for several hours prior to the fatal crash and driving away from the scene. He left Anderson behind and later said she had gone with other parties, a statement for which authorities found no evidence.

Derrik Nelson’s case involving his girlfriend’s death has moved through the Nebraska court system. As part of a plea deal, Derrik Nelson appeared September 2018 in Cedar County District Court and pleaded no contest to one count of vehicular homicide and one count of false reporting. He had initially faced manslaughter and other charges.

The lawsuit is considered closed in the Nebraska court system.