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Hebron, Nebraska

Wrongful death help for Hebron and Thayer County families

Fatal personal injury hotline

402-677-5656

About Demerath Law Office

I am Larry Demerath, a Nebraska native, a veteran and a Nebraska farmer. For over 50 years I have represented families in motor vehicle cases, and fatal car accident cases are where my experience counts most.

I have recovered more than $50 million for clients in Nebraska courtrooms, including $1,062,500 in a wrongful death case, $1,025,000 for a passenger killed in a crash and $670,000 after an I-80 crash that killed two children.

I earned my law degree at the University of Nebraska College of Law and I am admitted to the Nebraska State Bar, the federal district court, the 8th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. I handle your case myself, by phone, with no travel and no waiting room. You pay nothing unless I win.

How I help families who lost someone

When a crash takes someone you love, you should not have to fight an insurance company alone. I guide your family through the legal process, protect your rights and pursue the compensation Nebraska law allows.

  • Investigate the crash, gather evidence and identify key witnesses
  • Uncover every insurance policy that may apply
  • Deal with the insurance companies so your family does not have to
  • File a Nebraska wrongful death claim on your family's behalf
  • Explain the deadlines that apply to your claim
  • Seek compensation for funeral and medical expenses, lost income and lost support
  • Take your case to trial if the insurance company will not pay a fair amount
  • Answer your questions by phone in plain language
  • Handle everything on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless I win

Tell Larry what happened

Send a message and Larry will contact you. There is no cost to ask.

Your information is sent securely and goes only to Larry. You pay nothing unless I win.

Expert help in Hebron, Nebraska for fatal crash injuries

In a town the size of Hebron, a fatal crash is never a stranger's story. The person who died is a neighbor, a classmate, a church friend or a family member. Friends bring food, and then they go home, and you are left with the forms and the phone calls. I am Larry Demerath, a Nebraska attorney for over 50 years and a Nebraska farmer. I understand small towns. I will listen, explain what a wrongful death claim involves and take on the hard work for you. You can reach me by phone, and the first talk is free.

Hebron, Nebraska

Hebron is the county seat of Thayer County in southern Nebraska, not far from the Kansas border. It is a small town. The 2023 Census count is 1,388 people, down from a peak of 2,000 in 1950. A colony of Disciples of Christ founded it around 1869 and named it after the ancient city of Hebron.

The town has a few landmarks worth knowing. The Thayer County Courthouse is a limestone building from 1903. The Hebron post office, built in 1937, is on the National Register of Historic Places and holds a mural from 1939 of an 1887 corn train. In Roosevelt Park sits a covered porch swing with a seat 32 feet long, made from part of a center pivot irrigation frame. The state named Hebron the Porch Swing Capital of Nebraska in 2016. Visitors can also walk Arrowhead Gardens Arboretum on Jefferson Avenue, swim at the municipal pool in summer or play nine holes at the country club south of town on U.S. 136.

U.S. Highways 81 and 136 meet the town. Heritage Highway 136 runs through the county, and Riverside Park, a campground, lies near the Little Blue River. Much of the land around Hebron is farmed, and Reinke Manufacturing in nearby Deshler builds irrigation equipment. A tornado damaged the town badly in 1953. The county has two cities, Hebron and Deshler, and villages such as Alexandria, Belvidere, Bruning, Byron, Carleton, Chester, Davenport, Gilead and Hubbell. The University of Nebraska extension office for Thayer County is in Hebron.

For a place this small, the highways matter a great deal. Farm trucks, grain haulers, school buses and visitors all share them. A crash on one of these roads rarely involves strangers, and families here know each other well. Thayer County also has farms and open country.

AI illustration: The historic Thayer County Courthouse in Hebron under a bright blue Nebraska sky with green lawn

Events in Hebron

Hebron has a local Fourth of July celebration, and the county has fairs and festivals. These bring visitors and farm equipment onto roads that are usually quiet.

AI illustration: A small town Fourth of July parade with flags and floats on a sunny main street in Nebraska

Hebron Fourth of July Celebration

Hebron marks the Fourth of July with a downtown parade, a breakfast, games and fireworks at the airport at dusk. Neighbors from town and the farms around it come together. After dark, many cars leave the airport area at once, and some drivers have been celebrating.

AI illustration: Carnival rides and livestock barns at a county fair in Nebraska on a bright summer evening

Thayer County Fair in Deshler

The Thayer County Fair is held in Deshler, a short drive from Hebron. It offers a carnival, a rodeo, speedway racing, livestock shows, a parade, a car show and an antique tractor show. Families from across the county come, and slow farm vehicles share the road with fair traffic.

AI illustration: Families gathered at a small town street festival with picnic tables and games in Nebraska

Deshler Daze

Deshler Daze is a Thayer County community celebration in Deshler with a barbecue supper, games and boat races. It draws neighbors from Hebron and the smaller towns around the county. Visitors travel country roads and the highways, often in the evening, when light is poor and families are heading home.

AI illustration: Orange pumpkins in a field next to a tall corn maze on a bright autumn day in Nebraska

Fangmeier Farms Pumpkin Patch

Fangmeier Farms in Gilead, in Thayer County, runs a pumpkin patch with a corn maze each fall. Families drive out from Hebron and from towns farther away for pumpkins and photos. The country roads to the farm are narrow, and harvest equipment may be on them.

Event information: Heritage Highway 136, Norfolk Daily News, Heritage Highway 136, Heritage Highway 136. Dates change each year, so check the organizer before you go. The pictures on this page are AI-generated illustrations, not photographs of the events.

How Demerath Law Office can help you in Hebron, Nebraska

Losing someone in a crash near Hebron is heartbreaking, and I am sorry. I am Larry Demerath, and I have practiced law in Nebraska for over 50 years. I grew up in this state, and I still farm. I know that people in towns like Hebron do not enjoy asking for help. But you should not have to handle an insurance claim on your own while you grieve. I will answer your calls myself, and I will be honest.

The nearest big city is a long drive, and I do not ask you to make it. I handle cases by phone. You do not need to travel, pay for gas or take time off from the farm or the job. The first call is free. You tell me what happened. I will tell you honestly what I think, even if the answer is that you do not need a lawyer. You can call from the house, the truck or the field. I will explain each step before it happens, and I will not rush you.

I work on a contingency fee. You pay nothing unless I win your case. I deal with the insurance companies and gather the crash report, the medical records and the funeral bills. A crash on U.S. 81 or U.S. 136 near Hebron may involve a farm truck, a grain hauler or an out of town driver, and each may have its own insurer. I sort that out. I have recovered more than $50 million for Nebraska clients, though I never promise a result.

Time matters. The law generally gives a family two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim in Nebraska. That is time to talk, but not a reason to wait. I am a veteran, and my admissions include the Nebraska State Bar, the federal district court, the 8th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. If you are in Hebron or anywhere in Thayer County, call me at 402-677-5656.

AI illustration: A very long covered porch swing in a green city park in Hebron Nebraska on a sunny day

Fatal car accidents I handle in Hebron

Most roads around Hebron are quiet, and that can make drivers relax. Here are eight kinds of fatal crash and what a family should know about each.

Truck crash

Grain haulers, livestock trailers and freight trucks use U.S. 81 and U.S. 136 near Hebron. A loaded truck takes a long way to stop. If one was involved, I look at the driver, the owner and the trip records.

Motorcycle crash

Open country roads around Thayer County draw riders on nice days. Gravel on the pavement, a farm driveway or a driver pulling out can end a ride. I check what the other driver did before anyone blames the rider.

Drunk driver crash

Long dark stretches between towns make an impaired driver especially dangerous. After a local celebration or a night out, the drive home can turn deadly. I look at where the driver was before the crash and what the evidence shows.

Head-on collision

Two lane highways like U.S. 81 and U.S. 136 leave little room for a mistake. A driver who passes a slow tractor or drifts over the line can cause a head-on crash. I gather the report and scene photos.

Intersection crash

At county road crossings and highway turns, corn or other crops can block a driver's view. A stop sign may be missed on a road that seems empty. I find out who had the right of way, using witnesses and the crash report.

Rear-end collision

A combine or tractor moving slowly on a highway can be hard to see at dusk. A driver coming up fast may not have time to stop. These cases are rarely simple. I protect your family from unfair blame.

Pedestrian or bicycle strike

People walk to Roosevelt Park, downtown shops and the swimming pool, and children ride bikes on town streets. A driver who is not watching can cause a fatal strike. Keep every record and photo, and call me first.

Single-vehicle or rollover crash

A wet gravel road, a soft shoulder or a swerve around a deer can send a vehicle into a ditch or a rollover. Winter ice adds risk. Sometimes a road problem or a defect is part of the cause. I look at all of it.