A Nebraska State Trooper suffered minor injuries Thursday night after his patrol vehicle was struck while providing traffic control at the scene of an earlier crash on Interstate 80 near Maxwell. According to the Nebraska State Patrol, the trooper was parked near mile marker 187 around 10:10 p.m. as part of a line of three patrol units directing traffic into the passing lane while tow operators cleared a previous accident. A Buick Enclave struck the rear of the patrol vehicle, sending the SUV into the median. The trooper was taken to Great Plains Health, treated for minor injuries, and later released. The Buick driver was not injured and was cited for failure to move over for an emergency vehicle, along with open container, no registration, and no insurance violations.
The Maxwell Fire Department said it was dispatched with the North Platte Fire Department to the scene at approximately 10:21 p.m. Firefighters found the damaged patrol vehicle and the sedan in the median. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash. The trooper had been assisting with an earlier collision involving a pickup and semi near the same location that occurred about 3:45 p.m. Thursday. Both vehicles caught fire, and the pickup driver suffered minor injuries. Maxwell Fire officials are reminding motorists to slow down and move over when approaching emergency vehicles on the shoulder.
