A deadly weekend on Nebraska roads claims the lives of four people in four separate crashes. A 32-year-old South Dakota man was killed just after 9:00 p.m., on Sunday, December 20, 2009, when the pickup he was driving struck a parked semi trailer truck and burst into flames. The crash occurred about a ½ block south of the intersection of Highways 61 & 20 in Merriman, in western Cherry County, Nebraska. Casey Fanning, of Tuthill, South Dakota was killed in the crash. There was no one in the semi at the time of the accident. It is unknown if Fanning was wearing a seat belt. The accident was investigated by the Cherry County Sheriff’s Office

A 29-year-old Grand Island woman was killed, and three members of her family injured when the westbound SUV she was driving rolled near the Pleasant Dale Interchange on I-80, around 12:50 a.m., Sunday, December 20, 2009. Heather Allen, 29, Grand Island was killed in the crash. James Allen, 53, Donna Allen, 50, and Savannah Allen, 22, all of Grand Island, were transported to Bryan LGH-West in Lincoln, with minor injuries. Troopers working the crash, say Allen lost control of the vehicle when she drove the SUV into the passing lane to avoid a semi that was crowding the center line. The SUV entered the median and rolled several times, before landing on its wheels in the eastbound lane of I-80. An eastbound bus clipped the left side of the vehicle as the bus driver attempted to avoid the crash. There was minor damage to the bus, which was empty. The bus driver was not injured. Seat belts were worn by everyone involved in the crash.

Two separate crashes on Friday, December 18, 2009, claimed the lives of two Nebraska men. Bryan Andersen, 54, of Ong, Nebraska, was killed when he lost control of the pickup he was driving on a county road near Ong. The pickup struck a snow bank and rolled. It is unknown if Andersen was wearing a seat belt. The crash was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Shawn Mister, 22 of Hastings, was killed shortly after 5:30 a.m., Friday, December 18, when the Ford Explorer he was driving rolled on Interstate 80 about nine miles east of North Platte. Mister was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle.

As of December 21, 2009, 213 people have been killed in traffic crashes on Nebraska roads, compared with 202 fatalities on this same date in 2008.

Courtesy: Nebraska State Patrol