11-year-old girl killed in I-80 crash near Ogallala on Saturday

An 11-year-old girl was killed following a one-vehicle crash Saturday night on Interstate 80 near Ogallala, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

The crash happened at approximately 4:10 p.m. MDT Saturday when the driver of an eastbound Chevrolet Tahoe suffered a medical episode and lost control of the vehicle, the patrol said in a press release.

The Tahoe went into the median while passengers in the vehicle attempted to regain control. The vehicle then went back across the eastbound lanes of traffic into the south ditch and rolled. Four of the occupants were ejected.

Two adults and five children were in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Karen Valverde, 11, of Longmont, Colorado, was transported to Ogallala Community Hospital, where she died. A 9-year-old boy was flown to Denver Children’s Hospital.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Early reports indicate that none of the four people ejected were wearing seat belts, according to the patrol.

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