WAYNE — Emergency personnel was dispatched to a multi-vehicle accident around 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon.
The accident happened along Highway 35 just east of the intersection of 572nd Avenue and Highway 35. One of the individuals involved in the accident was transported by helicopter. Traffic was stopped and redirected between 572nd Avenue and 574th Avenue along Highway 35.
UPDATE: According to a release from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the preliminary investigation of the traffic collision located approximately four miles west of Wayne on Hwy 35 revealed three more motor vehicles collided causing two vehicles to leave the roadway.
One of those vehicles overturned on the ditch and both of its occupants were ejected. One occupant, Corey Raatz, age 40 of Meadow Grove, NE was pronounced deceased at the scene. Lack of seat belt usage is considered a significant factor in his death.
Due to the complexity of the collision, accident re-constructionists were enlisted from the Nebraska State Patrol and the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office. The highway was closed for approximately seven hours during the initial investigation and remains under investigation.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Nebraska State Patrol, the Wayne Police Department, the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, the Wayne Fire Department, the Winside Fire Department, Providence Medical Center and the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
Meadow Grove man dies in accident west of Wayne
