About Kyle I. Nelson
Date of Birth: 08/15/1994
Hometown: Lidgerwood, ND
Kyle Irvin Nelson was born August 15, 1994 in Breckenridge, MN, the son of Jerry & Yvonne (Ohm) Nelson. He was baptized on September 23, 1994 at Bergen Lutheran Church and confirmed on May 3, 2009 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. He grew up in Lidgerwood and graduated from Lidgerwood High School in 2013. After high school he went to East Grand Forks for Ag management. At the age of 12 Kyle started working with Kevin Willprecht west of Geneseo during the summer until present. Since birth he was 2 steps behind his dad and uncle Roger farming together and he had plans to take over the family farm in 2015. At an early age he participated in the toy farm display at the KC Hall in Lidgerwood, he was proud of his display and in 2011 he won first place at the LaMoure Toy Show. Kyle’s passion in life was farming and making other people laugh. There wasn’t a person Kyle couldn’t carry a conversation with. Anytime a friend needed a helping hand, Kyle was there. Kyle was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran church and was an active member of the Rutland/Cayuga Fire Department.
Crash Details
Crash Date: 11/13/2014
Crash Location: Rural Geneseo, ND
Contributing Factors in Crash: Not wearing a seat belt, Passenger, Riding with an impaired driver
Crash Details:
Kyle and his friend were en route from Geneseo, North Dakota to his friend’s farm, a few miles northwest of Geneseo on a gravel township road on a cold November the 13th night at roughly 9:00 p.m. Kyle’s friend was driving a 2003 Ford F-250 pickup northbound on the gravel at roughly 60 mph. He drifted on the east shoulder and overcorrected. The vehicle entered the west ditch and rolled over. It came to rest in a plowed field on the west side of the road on its top. Kyle was ejected during the rollover and came to rest under the roof of the vehicle. Kyle’s friend, the driver, walked about a quarter mile to his residence to call 911. Kyle was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the funeral home from the scene and then on to the Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy. The driver was transported by the Lidgerwood ambulance to a Fargo hospital. Final autopsy reports with a cause of death of Compression Asphyxia caused by the vehicle landing on Kyle's chest, trapping him underneath.
On February 10, 2016 in Forman, North Dakota court was called into session. The state of North Dakota vs the driver. A plea deal was made with the charges of Class C Felony, Reckless Endangerment - which was given a sentence of 364 day in jail. Following imprisonment the driver would be subject to two years supervised probation. Also, the driver plead guilty to driving under the influence, with a sentence of 30 days in jail. Kyles mother, Yvonne, and brother, Corey spoke during the court, as they read their victim impact statements on how over the last year has changed the family life and life from here on out. The Judge stated that if the victim’s family would not have spoken on the day of court, he (the Judge) wouldn’t have agreed to the plea deal and the sentence would have been stricter.
The big take away from this horrifying ordeal is not only to not drink and drive, but don’t get into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking or seems to be physically impaired in any way. Always, always wear your seatbelt. If you go 1000 miles or 1 mile, you never know what could happen and seatbelts do save lives. Be a leader and set an example, don’t let this nightmare happen to you and your family.