‘Could have been incredibly tragic’: Pickup barrels into Seward day care

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A pickup truck crashed into a child care center in Seward on Friday afternoon.

Just before 2 p.m., a crash occurred at the corner of Hillcrest Drive and Columbia Avenue.

Seward Police Chief Brian Peters said the driver of the pickup had a medical episode.

The driver then hit a light pole, two fire hydrants and a vehicle in the intersection before crashing into the building.

According to Peters, the pickup hit a room where eight kids were sleeping during nap time.

No children were injured, but a staff member suffered minor injuries, Peters said.

“I just mainly look at it as a situation that could have been incredibly tragic, and it wasn’t,” he said. “We were blessed in the fact that, like I said, there were eight kids in that room that were napping at the time, and none of them were injured. So we’ll take that luck every time.”

The driver of the pickup was given CPR at the scene and taken to Bryan West Medical Center in Lincoln.

The passenger of the pickup and the driver of the other vehicle involved both suffered minor injuries.

In a press release, St. John Lutheran Church offered its thanks to those involved in the cleanup.

“We are thankful that all of the students and staff are safe. Reunification with our Child Development Center children and their families is taking place through our main west church parking lot. Our prayers are for the occupants of the vehicles involved, along with prayers for our staff and students. We are thankful for our staff, Seward’s First Responders, and Seward Public School staff who worked hand in hand with our ministry staff this afternoon for the safety of all concerned. Our staff we will put together a plan for reopening the Child Development Center and notify the families as soon as possible.”

Law enforcement closed down Columbia Avenue, asking people to avoid the area.

Nebraska State Patrol troopers used a drone to map out the path of the crash.

Peters said teamwork is essential on a crash like this.

“It’s incredibly helpful,” he said. “Obviously, these are incidents that are hard to plan for. You certainly don’t expect it. But it goes to show how well our departments work together.”

This is a developing story. Check back with Channel 8 for updates.