The man killed Saturday afternoon in a one-car accident on Highway 275 southeast of Fremont was identified Sunday as 24-year-old Dwayne Stevenson, Jr. of Kansas City.
According to witnesses, Stevenson was weaving in and out of traffic and passing on the shoulder of the southbound lanes. He lost control, cut across the northbound lanes and rolled his car into a ditch. Stevenson was ejected from the vehicle. He was not wearing a seat belt.
Douglas County Sheriff's Department deputies noticed something in the car that made the situation more desperate. "There were a couple of child seats in the back of the vehicle and our concern was that their may have been other passengers, namely children, that may have been ejected so we did an extensive search in the immediate area, including the cornfield," said Sgt. Rob Jones.
The search found no other passengers had been ejected from the car.
"Passing vehicles on the outside shoulder, coming back onto the roadway, crossing both lanes of traffic in an attempt to pass other vehicles, at which time he left the roadway on the inside shoulder, lost control and then the vehicle began to roll."
Sgt. Jones said alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the accident, but the investigation will determine that.
Highway 275 remained closed until 6 p.m. so investigators could collect evidence and clear the scene. There were no visible skid marks on any of the four lanes of Highway 275, but just based on witness reports, Sgt. Jones said it is possible Stevenson was weaving through the heavy traffic at more than 80 mph.
