Ogallala, NE : Longmont girl killed in Nebraska crash, family seriously injured on Interstate 80 on Monday, 24th December 2018

An 11-year-old Longmont girl and Columbine Elementary School student was killed in a fatal crash on Interstate 80 near Ogallala, Neb., this weekend.

Karen Valverde was with her family in a Chevrolet Tahoe traveling to visit family in Chicago for the holiday, according to close family friend Yesenia Pena. While driving east on the highway around 4:10 p.m. on Saturday, Karen's father, Edgar Valverde, suffered a seizure.

The other passengers in the vehicle, which included Karen's mother Gloria Berenice Salaices, and siblings Joseline, Jazmin and Dylan, attempted to gain control of the truck, according to a news release from the Nebraska State Patrol.

The truck struck the median and then went back across the highway before landing in a ditch, where it rolled over. Nebraska State Patrol said that four of the occupants were ejected, and it's believed that none of them were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

Karen was taken to Ogallala Community Hospital, where she later died. The Valverdes are raising money for Karen's funeral using a GoFundMe page. Pena said that Karen's body is still in Nebraska, so the family has to find a way to get her home as well as to pay for services.

Pena said that Karen had fought through a lot and had an unspecified medical condition, but that didn't seem to bring down her spirit.

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