Man dies in ‘freak accident’ while in McDonald’s drive-thru, police say

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB/Gray News) – A man in Nebraska died in what police are calling a “freak accident” in a McDonald’s drive-thru on Tuesday morning.

Police and firefighters in Hastings were called to the McDonald’s on 2nd Street before 10:30 a.m., where they found a man trapped between his vehicle and the fast food restaurant payment window.

The man was taken to the ER at a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Grand Island Police Division Chief Dean Elliott said it was “100% a freak accident.”

“It appears the deceased opened the door to further reach out the window for payment purposes,” Elliott said. “We’re not sure if the vehicle lurched forward or what happened, but he got pinched between the door frame and the drive-thru window counter.”

Officials identified the man as 69-year-old Michael Dickinson. Police said he was the only person inside the vehicle.

Elliott said a McDonald’s employee went outside to help by going through the passenger side of the vehicle and was injured in the process. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and is expected to be OK.

The Grand Island Police Department’s Accident Reconstruction Team is assisting with the investigation.

The scene was cleared at 12:35 p.m., and the McDonald’s remained open after the incident.