Tragedy has again struck the community of Murdock, Nebraska. Three members of a family from Murdock died as the result of a head-on collision west of Broken Bow Saturday afternoon.

The Nebraska State Patrol says the crash happened around 1 p.m. when the family's car collided head-on with a pickup, killing 39-year-old Tricia Ita and her stepson, 15-year-old Jacob Ita.

Troopers say Jacob was driving when he crossed the center line and hit the truck.

The boy's father, 43-year-old Thad Ita, died from his injuries Sunday morning at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. A fourth passenger, daughter Martina, was hospitalized at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha in serious condition.

The driver of the pickup was not injured.

Jacob was a student in the Elmwood-Murdock School District. Older sister A.J. just finished her sophomore year at Elmwood-Murdock and was not with the family. She stayed in Murdock to attend a baseball ceremony honoring Dillon Synovec, Tyler Eggert and Angelica Washington, three Elmwood-Murdock students killed in a crash last October.

It has been a rough seven months for the people who live in the school district. In addition to the two accidents, a school employee died of cancer in December.

The Ita's parish priest says right now the best anyone can do for the family is to offer their prayers that Martina gets better.