First responders work at the scene of multiple crashes near MM 420 on Sunday afternoon (Nebraska Department of Transportation).
Wind gusts reaching up to 65 mph created near-whiteout conditions across Nebraska on Sunday, triggering a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 and causing dozens of flight cancellations in Omaha and Lincoln.
Scanner traffic indicated that the Greenwood Fire Department was dispatched to the first crash near the westbound Greenwood exit on I-80 shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday. Responding crews later reported several additional crashes and requested that the Interstate be shut down.
Officials have not yet confirmed the full extent of injuries from the crashes. Bryan Health in Lincoln said in a statement that the hospital treated four patients from the incident. Two were treated and released, while two others remained hospitalized in fair condition.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post that an emergency vehicle was struck while responding to the crash. The office urged residents to stay off the roads until conditions improve.
“Roadways throughout the county are extremely slick and conditions are expected to worsen as the storm continues,” the post said. “Our deputies, fire departments, EMS crews, and tow/recovery services are fully engaged responding to crashes and stranded motorists, and the weather is making those responses slower and significantly more dangerous.”
As of 6 p.m., Nebraska 511 reported that I-80 remained closed in both directions between Gretna at mile marker 434 and the Greenwood exit at mile marker 420.
The crashes occurred as blizzard conditions affected much of central and eastern Nebraska on Sunday. Northeastern parts of the state were under a blizzard warning, while most of Nebraska remained under a high wind warning.
At Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, most flights scheduled to depart Sunday afternoon and evening faced major delays or cancellations. According to FlightAware, 31% of arriving flights and 38% of departing flights scheduled for Sunday at Eppley were canceled. Lincoln’s airport also recorded 11 canceled flights on Sunday, according to FlightAware.
Leave a Comment