One seriously injured in crash with semi on rural northeast Nebraska highway

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A person was seriously injured early Thursday morning in a crash in northeast Nebraska.

The Stanton County Sheriff’s Office said the crash happened near 12:20 a.m. on Highway 275, just west of Pilger.

An eastbound SUV crossed the center line and struck a semitrailer nearly head-on, according to the sheriff’s office.

The SUV ended up in a ditch, and the semi hit a power pole, causing a total blackout in Pilger.

First responders worked for over an hour to free the 18-year-old driver of the SUV.

They were then flown to a hospital in Omaha with critical injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

Both vehicles are total losses, and investigators think the 18-year-old wasn’t wearing a seat belt.