 
Published Thursday
Freezing Rain Leads to Crashes BY JEFFREY ROBB AND JEREMY OLSON
Freezing drizzle that moved through central and eastern Nebraska on Thursday glazed roads and created a mess on highways, contributing to a Greyhound Bus crash on Interstate 80 near Phillips. The bus, which took the ditch after a vehicle just ahead
of it lost control, was carrying 39 people. Twenty-nine were treated for
their injuries at area hospitals. None was in critical condition.
Southwest of Omaha, near the Flying J Truck Stop, one stretch of Interstate 80 travel was particularly treacherous. On a hilly area exposed to the wind, up to 20 cars had crashed, and a 10- to 15-car pileup slowed traffic. "People just tap the brakes and off they go," said Nebraska State Trooper Mark Plowman. The freezing rain that caused all the trouble moved quickly through western Douglas and Sarpy Counties about 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service office in Valley. As quickly as it came, it swung off to the southeast, said meteorologist Josh Boustead. Lows in the next few days should be around zero, Boustead said, perhaps dropping below zero on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Winds up to 40 mph from the north probably will drop the wind-chill index tonight, he said. Highs Friday should be 15 to 20, dropping to around 10 to 15 over the weekend. The weather service said the area may be in for a warm-up in the middle of next week. In central Nebraska, freezing drizzle coated the Interstate by early morning. The Greyhound Bus accident occurred about 3:40 a.m. just east of the Phillips interchange, about seven miles east of Grand Island. Hall County Sheriff Jerry Watson said the bus fell on its side after taking the ditch. A dispatcher said six or seven semitrailer trucks also had either wrecked or jackknifed on the same stretch of Interstate. In addition, a television news van from Kearney, trying to reach the bus accident scene, was hit by a semitrailer truck that slid on the Interstate. The van's driver suffered minor injuries. "It iced up pretty good around here," Watson said. "It's pretty much a solid sheet of ice." St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island treated 23 passengers for injuries, hospital spokeswoman Cathy Brockmeier said. Of those passengers, five were admitted, she said. Most of the bus passengers treated for injuries complained of broken bones, sprains, sore necks, scratches and bruises, said Bob Bonnell, another hospital spokesman. Aurora Memorial Hospital treated five passengers and then released them, said Cheryl Erickson, director of nurses. One passenger was admitted for observation, she said. Greyhound Bus Lines said the bus left Denver at 6:40 p.m. MST Wednesday, headed to Chicago. The bus was scheduled to stop in Omaha at 5:25 a.m. CST. Lynn Brown, a Greyhound spokeswoman, said passengers were being taken to the Best Western-Riverside Inn in Grand Island and buses were on the way to take them to their destinations. Motorists on I-80 west of Gretna encountered problems during the early morning rush. Gene Schuknecht and his wife, Betty, were trying to escape the area's cold and were driving in their new minivan to Arizona when they fell victim to the icy six-mile stretch. A car ahead of him on I-80 near the U.S. Highway 6 exit spun out, and another minivan hit it and careened into the ditch. Schuknecht's minivan rammed into the other minivan and skidded backward to a rest on the side of the road. "We just wanted to get out of the Iowa winter," said Schuknecht, still draped in the airbag that deployed on impact. "We only got 170 miles from home" in Paullina, Iowa. Westbound traffic on Interstate 80 out of Omaha was zipping along at normal speeds until it reached the Highway 6 interchange in Sarpy County, where the road begins its descent to the Platte River. West of the van accident on I-80, Sarpy County deputies were dealing with a 10- to 15-car pileup that included a jackknifed semitrailer truck. The accident resulted in the closure of the passing lane. Tow-truck drivers were scrambling along the roadside shoulders, trying to figure out which accidents required their attention. State Patrol Sgt. Kevin Bridges said drivers should heed the warning signs of poor roads. "The first thing people say when they get out of their cars (after an accident) is, 'I didn't know it was that slick,'" he said. "When you see that first car in the ditch, that should be an indicator." World-Herald staff writer James Ivey contributed to this report, which includes material from the Associated Press. |
