Nebraska I-80 Pileup: Dust Storm Causes 20-Vehicle Crash, 15 People Hospitalized

As many as 15 people were taken to local hospitals following a crash Sunday that involved at least 20 vehicles on Interstate 80 in South-central Nebraska.

Of the injured, eight people were taken to Aurora, six were taken to York, and one person was flown to Bryan Health West Hospital in Lincoln. According to the Nebraska State Patrol, the crash affected both the eastbound and the westbound lanes and caused them to close the highway between Aurora and Henderson, Nebraska, for more than two hours. The Nebraska State Patrol extracted many from their vehicles following the crash.

A lot of users took to Twitter and posted pictures and videos of the conditions on the road and the pileup.

According to a report in local daily newspaper Omaha World-Herald, the cause of the pileup could be blowing dust and high winds that reduced the visibility on the road, however, police officials have confirmed that the investigation into the crash is still ongoing.

Interstate 80 was reportedly open to public again just before 8:00 p.m. local time Sunday (9:00 p.m. EDT).

Officials from the Hall, Hamilton, and York county sheriffs' offices were present at the time of the accident for response and traffic control, along with multiple rescue crews.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jerilyn Billings Wright said that South-Central Nebraska where Sunday’s incident took place is unusually dry but the biggest problem that led to the pileup could very well be the wind.

According to the nearest weather monitoring station, which is situated in Aurora, the winds in the area were clocked at 48 mph while in the general area, wind gusts were recorded at 60 mph.

According to Wright, unusually cool temperatures caused the dry weather, and the chilly start to spring has concealed the storms that normally would carry heavy rains with them.