Tuesday afternoon wreck near Beatrice shuts down U.S. 77 northbound

BEATRICE – A two-vehicle collision at highway speed north of Beatrice Tuesday afternoon sent two people to a Lincoln hospital. 

The collision, just after 3:30 p.m. along U.S. Highway 77 about two miles north of Beatrice, shut down the northbound lanes of the highway for at least an hour.

A pickup and a four-door sedan collided next to a farm equipment business.  Gage County Sheriff Millard Gustafson says the pickup was pulling onto the highway along the east side, into the path of the northbound car. 

Beatrice Fire and Rescue Captain Craig Fisher says two occupants of the car involved in the collision were taken to Bryan Health West in Lincoln, by ground ambulance.  They included the driver, 40-year-old Jennifer Vanek, of Beatrice….and a 14-year-old female passenger...also from Beatrice.  Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries.  The driver of the pickup, identified as 40-year-old Lorenz Trauernicht, of Pickrell, did not require transport for medical treatment.

Gage County Sheriff’s Deputies at the scene along with Beatrice Rural Fire personnel directed northbound traffic onto a frontage road around the accident scene.   Southbound traffic was able to continue through the area.