Lincoln, NE : A 63-year-old man suffered a critical head injury when the van he was driving collided on Friday, July 7, 2017

A 63-year-old man suffered a critical head injury when the van he was driving collided Friday with a semitrailer in east Omaha, police said.

David W. Petersen was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center. He also suffered serious leg injuries.

Petersen, of Omaha, was driving a 2002 Chevrolet van west on Abbott Drive when he crossed about 11 a.m. into the lane of a westbound 2016 Peterbilt semitrailer near Gallup Drive, police said.

The van struck the semitrailer’s front bumper, which sent the van over a raised median. It rolled once into the eastbound lanes of Abbott Drive, police said.

Petersen, who was alone, was not using a seat belt and was thrown from the van, police said.

Witnesses reported that before the collision the van ran a red light at Abbott Drive and Pratt Court, police said. It also was seen failing several times to maintain its lane just before the crash, police said.

Mark E. Manoogian, 49, of Council Bluffs was driving the semitrailer, which had an empty trailer on which cars are hauled, police said. He was not injured, they said.

Abbott Drive was closed from Avenue H to 10th Street until 1:45 p.m.

Source :
Van driver injured in collision with semi on Abbott Drive in Omaha