The driver of a Chevy Malibu involved in a two-vehicle accident early Thursday morning may face criminal charges.
Antelope County Sheriff Bob Moore said Monday he will turn over the results of his investigation into a semi-trailer/car accident to County Attorney Joseph Abler for possible prosecution.
Moore said the driver of the car, 26-year-old Khristine Larson of Lake Park, Iowa, was headed westbound on Highway 70 approximately eight miles west of Elgin when the accident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday.
According to the accident report and interviews at the scene, Moore said the driver of the eastbound semi-trailer truck, 67-year-old Frederick Weible of Winside, said the car drifted into the east bound lane and struck the semi-trailer near the driver’s side front wheel. Moore said the collision caused the car to flip on its top.
Miraculously, she survived being ejected out of the car (she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt), her body coming to rest just inches from the rear duals of the semi-trailer, Moore said. The driver of the semi-trailer did not require medical attention, he added.
“It’s absolutely a miracle,” Sheriff Moore said. “She’s one lucky girl,” he noted as the entire side of the car was demolished.
The Elgin Rescue Squad transported Larson to Antelope Memorial Hospital. She was later taken to Faith Regional in Norfolk, before returning later the same day to the Antelope County Law Enforcement Center to pick up her belongings and continue on her way to Colorado as she was in the process of moving.
Also responding to the scene was the Elgin Volunteer Fire Department to lend assistance.
The 2001 International tractor/trailer driven by Weible was hauling a load of cattle to a slaughterhouse at the time of the accident.
Moore said cattle in the truck were loaded into a truck belonging to Paul Beckman and transported. To Moore’s knowledge, no animals were injured in the collision.
Highway 70 was shut down for four hours as the accident scene was cleared.
A crew from the Nebraska Department of Roads was called to the scene to clean up a diesel fuel spill resulting from the accident.
Both the car and the semi-trailer were totalled in the accident.
Assisting Moore with the accident investigation was the Nebraska State Patrol.
