Updated (May 7)
The names of the individuals involved in yesterday's crash near mile marker 381.2 have been released.
According to Seward County Sheriff Joe Yocum, the 20-year-old driver was Madison Selser-Smith. She was transported to Bryan Health West and remains in critical condition.
The three unrestrained passengers in the first vehicle ejected and killed were Cody Richardson, 20, Troy Wanzek, 20, and Cole Austin, 19. Selser-Smith's mother, Susan Selser, 49, was in the passenger's seat and died from blunt-force trauma during the collision. She was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. All five were from Clinton, Iowa.
The driver of the second vehicle was Anna Richert, 75, of Gresham. She remains in critical condition at Bryan Health West.
Yocum said according to an eye witness, Selser-Smith's vehicle was westbound when it crossed the rumble bars, overcorrected and lost control. It then went into the median and into the path of Richert's eastbound vehicle. Richert braked but was unable to avoid the collision.
According to Yocum, next of kin have been notified regarding the deaths, and autopsies are being scheduled.
May 6 – Five people died as a result of crashes on Interstate 80 Sunday, May 6.
According to the Seward County Sheriff's Office, at approximately 7:25 a.m., the Seward County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a multiple vehicle crash that occurred on eastbound I-80 near mile marker 381.2 in Seward County.
The preliminary investigation shows that a 20-year-old motorist with four passengers traveling west on I-80 hit the rumble bars on the north shoulder and overcorrected, crossed the center median, and entered the eastbound lanes of travel where it was struck by another vehicle occupied solely by a 76-year-old driver. The three unrestrained passengers in the first vehicle were ejected and were killed instantly, and a fourth passenger was also killed. The ages of the deceased were 49, 20, 19 and 19.
Both drivers were transported by Star Care with life threatening injuries. The names of the injured and deceased are being withheld pending notification of their respective families.
Interstate 80 eastbound traffic was diverted at the Seward exit (mile marker 379) for several hours. The accident was investigated by the Seward County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol. Milford Police Department, Milford Volunteer Fire and Rescue, and Seward Volunteer Fire and Rescue all responded and assisted with the scene.
One person was killed in a four vehicle crash at mile marker 378 on eastbound Interstate 80 near Seward. Abdiaziz Jama, 33, of Columbus, Ohio was killed in the crash, when the semi he was driving failed to slow down and rear ended another semi, causing a chain reaction that included a third semi and a 2013 Dodge Ram truck. The crash occurred near mile marker 378 at approximately 10 a.m. Jama’s passenger, Mohamed Apdullahi, 30, was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Their semi also caught fire as a result of the crash. Investigators believe Jama may have been texting at the time of the crash.
Another crash happened at mile marker 367 at approximately 11:35 a.m. when an Chevrolet SUV failed to observe that traffic had slowed and rear ended a semi. The lone occupant of the SUV, Jeffrey Eymann, 68, of Grand Island was transported to the hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. The semi driver was uninjured.
