UPDATE: Driver killed in Crete fatal crash identified

UPDATE: 

Forty-one-year-old Avery Paulson was killed in a head-on collision with a semi Wednesday afternoon, just outside Crete on Highway 33. Deputies say his minivan crossed into oncoming traffic. Paulson was headed home to Lincoln after work at Public Health Solutions in Crete.

"This is a huge loss for our staff," said Kim Buser, a friend from work. "He had formed personal friendships with most of us because that was just the kind of person he was. So we’re going to navigate through this slowly because it’s just going to be a huge hole in our department. It really is."

Avery worked to identify diseases within the small community, a job he loved. According to friends, he was also an avid fisherman, a Husker fan, and a musician. He played bass guitar for a local church.

"I miss that bond that was there," said Steve Wulf, who first connected with Avery over their mutual love of music. "That bond of friendship."

Steve says Avery, who had been in a wheelchair for most of his life, didn’t let it define him.

"He was only expected to live ’til 3 years old initially," Steve said. "So he was really a miracle in and of himself and he always knew that, and he told me ‘there must be a purpose for why I’m here.’ And music was one of those purposes."

"Avery experienced a lot of physical challenges in his life," Kim Buser said. "But you wouldn’t have known that to talk to him. He was the one who came in every day laughing and joking. He had this infectious smile."

There will be a celebration of life for Avery this Saturday, at Holmes Lake Apartments near 70th and Van Dorn. It starts at 2 p.m., and is open to everybody who knew Avery and wants to share in his memory.

Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office have released the name of the driver killed in a crash Wednesday afternoon.  

Avery Paulson, 41, from Lincoln was driving a minivan when it crossed over into oncoming traffic and struck a semi head on.  

Neal Winningham of Texas was driving the semi.  

He was treated for minor injuries and released at the scene.  

The crash is still under investigation.

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"It’s a pretty bad accident. So we have a debris field as you have probably seen, spread across the highway for several blocks here," said Lancaster County Sheriff Captain Tom Brookhouser. 

Lancaster County Sheriffs Deputies responded to a multi–vehicle accident near Highway 33 and Southwest 100th Street.

An off-duty deputy actually pulled up on the crash scene and called 911.

According to authorities, the driver of the mini–van, a man, has died.

"We do have one fatality on scene here, the driver of the mini–van he was by himself. It’s a male, that’s all the information I have at this point. The driver of the semi, was by himself, in a semi truck he was uninjured," said Brookhouser. 

We did receive word tonight from investigators that the driver of the van veered into oncoming traffic and was hit by the semi.

A section of Highway 33 was shut down for a quite a while.

The man who died was the only one in the van.

The driver of semi was not injured.

No names have been released.

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Posted By: Channel 8 Eyewitness News

8@klkntv.com

One person is dead after a semi collided head on with an mini-van east of Crete on Hwy 33.  It happened around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. 

The Lancaster County Sheriffs Office is investigating the crash. 

Channel 8 will have the latest updates when they become available.