Three people, including a Nebraska state trooper, have been hurt in a crash west of Stratton.
The state patrol says the trooper, 28-year-old Jeffrey Van Stelton, was headed west on U.S Highway 34 about 2 a.m. Sunday when he was hit head-on by an oncoming car.
The patrol car went into a ditch and burst into flames.
Stelton was hospitalized in serious condition. He remains in a
Kearney hospital.
The patrol says he suffered injuries to his pelvis, leg and arm.
A passenger in the other car, Antonia Valdez, was taken to Good
Samaritan as well. Hospital spokeswoman Marsha Wilkerson said
Monday that Valdez is listed by the name of Antonia Lopez at the
hospital and is in serious condition.
The patrol says the driver was a 17-year-old boy who didn't have a license. The 17-year-old was released from a hospital in Benkelman.
Stelton is a six-year veteran of the patrol.
He's assigned to the North Platte troop.
