PIERCE COUNTY, Neb. — A Norfolk man died early Thursday morning after his pickup struck a tree in Pierce County.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 3:30 a.m. to a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 98, approximately 1.5 miles east of U.S. Highway 81.

Pierce Fire and Rescue and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

Investigators said 72-year-old Gerald Evert of Norfolk was traveling westbound on Highway 98 when his 2025 Nissan Frontier left the roadway and entered the north ditch. The pickup continued west before striking a large tree.

Authorities reported Evert was not wearing a seat belt. All airbags in the vehicle deployed.

Evert was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.