South Dakota Burn Victim Sues Nebraska County, Village

A South Dakota man who was burned in a controlled grass fire in the Nebraska border town of Whiteclay is suing local authorities for negligence.

Bryan Bluebird, of Pine Ridge, says authorities failed to spot him lying in a field and ignited the blaze on a dangerously windy day.

The lawsuit, filed in Nebraska’s federal court, comes six months after he sent a tort-claim notice to Sheridan County and the Rushville Fire Department in northwest Nebraska.

Bluebird is suing the county, the volunteer fire department, the village of Rushville and various elected officials.

The 51-year-old man says he was lying in a field March 6 in Whiteclay when flames surrounded him. Authorities ignited the blaze to clear grass and prevent unintentional fires.