Winds contribute to fatal I-80 crash
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Poor visibility caused by blowing dirt is believed to be the main cause of a fiery eight-vehicle pileup that killed three people, injured four and closed portions of Interstate 80 for hours, the Nebraska State Patrol said.
John Latham, 70, of Springfield, Neb., was one of those who died in the Thursday crash. Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins said Latham was driving a semitrailer that slammed into the back of another semitrailer, which had slowed when high winds blew dirt from a nearby field over the interstate.
That collision caused a chain reaction pileup of five semitrailers and three smaller vehicles, Collins said. Several of the vehicles, including all the semitrailers, burst into flames upon impact, she said. The charred remains of the vehicles could be seen on the interstate hours after the crash.
Also killed were Jeanne Kerechanin, 54, and Pamela Hartman, 46, both of Manitou Springs, Colo., who were traveling in a car, Collins said.
Four others were injured in the crash, which happened around 2 p.m. CST about seven miles west of North Platte on the eastbound portion of the interstate.
The injured were taken to various hospitals in Nebraska and Colorado, Patrol Capt. Jim Parish said. Those hospitals declined to reveal the medical conditions of the injured citing federal privacy regulations.
Parish said none of those injured are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
Authorities did not know if those who died were killed by the impact of the crash or the ensuring fire.
"I would say fire was involved in the three fatalities," Collins said. "It made identifying the victims difficult."
Parish said autopsies were not planned.
No charges or citations were expected because the cause of the pileup was considered accidental due to low visibility, he said.
Eastbound portions of the interstate were closed for 10 hours until just after midnight, giving crews time to repair holes in the road caused the pileup and high heat from the fires, Parish said.
"The crash scene itself was pretty tremendous. There was an awful lot of debris to sort through," he said.
The westbound part of the highway between North Platte and Hershey opened around 7 p.m.
Much of the state was under a wind advisory Thursday, and the National Weather Service said gusts of up to 45 miles per hour were likely Friday through portions of north-central Nebraska.
John Latham, 70, of Springfield, Neb., was one of those who died in the Thursday crash. Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins said Latham was driving a semitrailer that slammed into the back of another semitrailer, which had slowed when high winds blew dirt from a nearby field over the interstate.
That collision caused a chain reaction pileup of five semitrailers and three smaller vehicles, Collins said. Several of the vehicles, including all the semitrailers, burst into flames upon impact, she said. The charred remains of the vehicles could be seen on the interstate hours after the crash.
Also killed were Jeanne Kerechanin, 54, and Pamela Hartman, 46, both of Manitou Springs, Colo., who were traveling in a car, Collins said.
Four others were injured in the crash, which happened around 2 p.m. CST about seven miles west of North Platte on the eastbound portion of the interstate.
The injured were taken to various hospitals in Nebraska and Colorado, Patrol Capt. Jim Parish said. Those hospitals declined to reveal the medical conditions of the injured citing federal privacy regulations.
Parish said none of those injured are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
Authorities did not know if those who died were killed by the impact of the crash or the ensuring fire.
"I would say fire was involved in the three fatalities," Collins said. "It made identifying the victims difficult."
Parish said autopsies were not planned.
No charges or citations were expected because the cause of the pileup was considered accidental due to low visibility, he said.
Eastbound portions of the interstate were closed for 10 hours until just after midnight, giving crews time to repair holes in the road caused the pileup and high heat from the fires, Parish said.
"The crash scene itself was pretty tremendous. There was an awful lot of debris to sort through," he said.
The westbound part of the highway between North Platte and Hershey opened around 7 p.m.
Much of the state was under a wind advisory Thursday, and the National Weather Service said gusts of up to 45 miles per hour were likely Friday through portions of north-central Nebraska.
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