Friend, NE : One person died and several people injured after a car and sports utility vehicle collide in Saline County on Thursday, December 3, 2015

A 6-year-old boy from Friend died and several people were injured Thursday after a car and an SUV collided near Friend, the Saline County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

Beckett Arp, the son of Brian and Erika Arp, loved sports, the outdoors, learning and his family, according to his obituary. Born Dec. 8, 2008, he was an "expert" on dinosaurs and was proud he had recently finished his first chapter book.

He was killed when an eastbound 2003 Dodge Durango hit the southbound 2004 Pontiac Bonneville he was a passenger in as it drove onto U.S. 6 from a county road just before 3:45 p.m., Sheriff Alan Moore said in a news release.

A Lauber-Moore Funeral Home obituary said Beckett was best friends with his younger brother, Grady. The two "shared every possible moment together." He loved to fish and hunt with his dad and was nicknamed "Bubba."

His principal at Friend Elementary School, Alyson Dickinson said he was a "smart, loving, energetic and personable young boy" who loved the color green and often shot hoops during halftime at home Friend basketball games.

"He was a great big brother," Dickinson said Sunday. "Our entire community will miss Beckett."

The driver, Beckett and another passenger were in the Bonneville; the Durango driver was its sole occupant.

Everyone was taken to the hospital in Friend. Beckett was flown to Bryan West Campus in Lincoln.

The crash remains under investigation.

Source :

6-year-old dies in two-car crash in Saline County, sheriff says