The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says 20-year-old Zacharie Cloutier of Grand Island was the man killed when his car was hit head-on by a semi early Tuesday morning on Highway 79 northwest of Lincoln.
Chief Deputy Ben Houchin says Cloutier drifted into the opposite lane and collided with the truck around 2:30 a.m. “The preliminary investigation shows that he was most likely under the influence of synthetic marijuana.”
Houchin says several vape pens were found inside his vehicle. An autopsy has been ordered and Houchin says they are waiting results of lab tests to confirm the presence of synthetic marijuana. If confirmed, Houchin says it would be the first fatal crash involving the substance.
The 25-year-old semi truck driver from Lincoln was not hurt.