Driver of utility vehicle seriously injured in collision with SUV

BEATRICE - One person was airlifted to a Lincoln hospital Thursday from an accident near U.S. Highway 77 and West Pickrell Road.

Gage County law officers say a witness to the accident said a sport utility vehicle struck a John Deere side-by-side in front of a residence.  The utility vehicle, authorities say, was driven by 73-year-old Loren Huls, who resides there.  The 2018 Ford Explorer involved was driven by 36-year-old Rebecca Hagemeier, of Pickrell.

The witness, identified as Alex Fehringer, provided aid to Huls…as did the injured man’s wife. An arriving sheriff’s deputy, noticing extensive bleeding, applied a tourniquet to the injured man’s left arm.

Emergency personnel were sent to the scene at 4:52 p.m.  A medical helicopter was summoned and landed in a nearby field, taking Huls to Bryan West Health Center in Lincoln. 

The investigation of the accident revealed that the Explorer and utility vehicle were both traveling east when the John Deere vehicle slowed to turn into a driveway.  The driver of the Ford did not observe a turn signal from the side-by-side and attempted to pass on the left.  The utility vehicle driven by Huls began to turn and the Ford clipped the rear end of the side-by-side.

Huls was ejected from his vehicle onto the roadway.   The Explorer went into the south ditch and the John Deere came to rest in the north ditch.

Huls was taken to the Lincoln hospital with life-threatening injuries.  Hagemeier and her five-year-old daughter had minor injuries but refused medical treatment.