Accident details released

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County sheriff’s deputies’ investigation of a multi-vehicle accident west of McCook Thursday evening unscrambles the movements of a semi truck, three pickups and one SUV, and identifies the driver of each.

The accident happened at 6:05 p.m., at the intersection of Highway 6&34 and County Road 380 (at the “Perry” Frenchman Valley Coop grain elevator three miles west of McCook), as a westbound pickup (pulling a trailer) stopped on the highway to turn south onto County Road 380 and waited for oncoming, eastbound traffic. The pickup and trailer belongs to Frenchman Valley Coop and was driven by John T. Kain, 22, of McCook. According to deputies’ investigation, the trailer had no taillights.

A semi-tractor truck with a trailer loaded with dry cornmeal was also westbound on the highway. The semi driver did not see that the pickup and trailer were stopped until it was almost upon them, and the semi struck the rear of the trailer pulled by the pickup and pushed the pickup and trailer into oncoming traffic. The semi swerved around the pickup and trailer, the semi driver lost control and the semi and trailer rolled onto their right sides and into the side of a building owned by the coop. The semi belongs to Buckeye Valley of Gibbon and was driven by Robert Aspenleiter, 43, of Curtis.

The semi also rolled onto part of an eastbound SUV, causing the SUV to go into the south ditch. The SUV was driven by Angela Martus, 48, of Benkelman.

As the semi was sliding to a stop, an eastbound pickup driven by Nathan Gubser, no age available, of Alaska, clipped the semi. Another eastbound pickup, driven by Timothy Arkebauer, 55, of Colorado, couldn’t get stopped and drove into the overturned trailer of the semi.

According to the investigation report, each of the five vehicles was occupied by the driver only.

Martus was transported to Community Hospital of McCook by McCook fire and rescue.