From the Holt County Sheriff’s Office
On Friday, June 13, 2025 at approximately 9:12 pm the Boyd/Holt E-911 received a call for an accident on U.S. Highway 20 and Hillcrest Road in Atkinson, Nebraska. A Semi with a fully loaded cattle trailer driven by Braden Haselhorst, age 27, of Pierce, NE, was traveling east on US Highway 20. A white Chevrolet pickup driven by Christopher Judge, age 34, of Atkinson, NE was entering on to US Highway 20 from Hillcrest Drive. The pickup stopped at the stop sign and then pulled onto the highway directly in front of the semi. Both vehicles skidded to the east and across the highway. Both vehicles skidded to the east and across the highway. Both vehicles remained upright and came to rest in the north ditch. The drive of the pickup, Christopher Judge, was deceased at the scene. Braden Haselhorst had minor cuts to his hand/arm and declined transportation to the hospital from Atkinson rescue.
The cattle were offloaded from the trailer and transported to the Atkinson Livestock Market. Highway 20 was closed for approximately 4 hours while emergency crews worked to clear the scene.
Atkinson Fire and Rescue managed the medical assessment and treatment of all individuals at the scene, and worked to remove the cattle and they provided traffic control. The Holt County Roads Department helped to manage traffic on the county roads affected by the accident. The Holt County Sheriff’s Office investigated the accident with assistance from the Atkinson Police Department, the Nebraska State Patrol, the Holt County Attorney’s Office, Seger Funeral Home and the Boyd/Holt E911 center
