(Stripes on back of ambulance with 'fatal' graphic added - KIWA Staff Stock Photo)Storm Lake, Iowa (KAYL) — A Buena Vista University student was killed, and three others were injured in a crash near Storm Lake on Monday.
According to Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston, a sheriff’s deputy came upon the crash shortly after it occurred at about 1:30 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Highway 110 and 85th Avenue, southwest of both the town and lake of Storm Lake, near the Storm Lake Airport.
Investigators determined a southbound Ford Taurus collided with a northbound Ford Transit van.
They tell us the Taurus was driven by 18-year-old Denzel Scott of Angleton, Texas. An ambulance took him to Buena Vista Regional Medical Center (BVRMC) in Storm Lake. He was then transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The front-seat passenger, 19-year-old Marley Smith of Battle Creek, also was transported to BVRMC before being transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The back-seat passenger, 21-year-old Kaylee Nachtigal of Dickens, was transported to BVRMC, where she was pronounced dead.
Nachtigal was a BVU student who competed on the university’s women’s wrestling team. She graduated from Spencer High School in 2024. Scott and Smith are also BVU students. BVU President Brian Lenzmeier announced Nachtigal’s death in an email to the university community on Monday, expressing condolences to her family, friends and classmates and offering support to the injured students and their families.
The Ford Transit van was driven by 53-year-old Brian Reinert of Newcastle, Nebraska, who was the vehicle’s sole occupant. A sheriff’s deputy transported him to BVRMC.
The sheriff’s office says the Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Storm Lake Police Department, Storm Lake Fire Department, Alta Fire Department, BVRMC Ambulance, and the Iowa Department of Transportation assisted with the response to the crash.
Law enforcement remained at the scene until approximately 4:30 p.m. Monday.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
