A 30-year-old Nebraskan and an 8-year-old boy died Wednesday after a semi-truck driven by a 21-year-old man crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into the family's car near the border of Clay and Adams counties, according to authorities.
Nicole Pavelka of Davenport was driving east with four children in her car on U.S. 6 at about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday when westbound traffic on the highway came to a stop, Nebraska State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas said in a news release.
Justin Zoerb, of Hazard, was driving west on the highway in a semi-truck when he failed to slow down for the stopped westbound traffic that was waiting for a vehicle to turn from the highway onto Road A, Thomas said.
Zoerb drove into the highway's eastbound lanes and crashed into Pavelka's Buick Enclave, Thomas said.
Pavelka and the 8-year-old boy, Ryker Schlichtman of Davenport, died at the scene.
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Three other children in the car — ages 11, 10 and 4 — were hospitalized with serious injuries, Thomas said.
The news release described the car's occupants as family members but didn't describe how they are related. Pavelka had been engaged to Ryker's father, Thomas said.
Authorities arrested Zoerb for an active traffic warrant out of Hitchcock County, where court filings indicated the 21-year-old skipped a June court appearance for two misdemeanor charges, including failure to stop and weigh.
Zoerb was taken to the Adams County jail for the warrant. The State Patrol is still investigating the crash.
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