The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has released more details following a series of crashes during Sunday afternoon’s snow storm that forced the closure of I-80 between Ashland and Greenwood. Sheriff Robert Sorenson says around 2:40 deputies and fire and rescue personnel responded to a crash involving approximately 30–40 vehicles just east of the 420 Interchange.
Initially, Cass County Deputies, Ashland Police, and Greenwood Fire and Rescue responded to a three-vehicle crash. “Shortly after law enforcement arrived, a second crash occurred, followed by a third in which a vehicle struck a Cass County K9 Patrol Unit and an Ashland Police K9 Patrol Unit,” Sorenson says. There were no injuries in those crashes.
“The incident continued to escalate, involving passenger vehicles and semi-trucks, including one head-on collision, all within the same 20-minute timeframe,” Sorenson says. Several people were taken to hospitals in Lincoln, with one in critical condition.
A Bryan Health spokesman says they treated four accident victims at their west campus. Two were reported in fair condition and two were treated and released. The Nebraska Department of Roads closed westbound I-80 at the 420 Interchange, and Cass County Deputies rerouted remaining vehicles off I-80 at the 416 Interchange to prevent the accident scene from expanding.
Sorenson says a second multiple-vehicle accident happened shortly after the first was cleared. “This incident involved approximately six vehicles traveling east on I-80 near the mile marker of the first crash.”
Because of the close proximity of first responders to the initial accident, NSP and Cass County Deputies were able to quickly close eastbound traffic, preventing the accident from spreading. The interstate reopened at approximately 8:35 PM.
Sorenson says the Cass County, Nebraska State Patrol, Saunders County, and Lancaster County dispatch centers worked together to manage the challenging situation. All of the agencies who were part of the emergency response were the Nebraska State Patrol, Greenwood, Ashland, Eagle, Elmwood, Louisville, Murray, Weeping Water, Manley, Gretna, Waverly, Ceresco and Raymond Fire and Rescue departments, Cass County Emergency Management, and Southeast Fire & Rescue.
(Photo: Nebraska Dept. of Transportation)