LSO identifies driver killed in fiery crash north of Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has identified the driver who was killed in a head-on crash north of Lincoln, Wednesday night.

It happened just south of Highway 77, between Waverly and Mill Roads. First responders were called to the scene just after 9 p.m.

According to Chief Ben Houchin, LSO received a call about a white Honda Accord going the wrong way on Highway 77 and a deputy was close by.

LSO said when the deputy got on scene, they found two vehicles had crashed and one was on fire.

Chief Houchin said the driver of a white Honda Accord, identified as 52-year-old Nicki Beenblossom, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

An autopsy was scheduled to be performed on Thursday.

According to Chief Houchin, Beenblossom is from Lincoln and the license plates on the Honda Accord were from Utah. Chief Houchin said Beenblossom was driving southbound in northbound lanes on Highway 77.

Chief Houchin said Beenblossom was not wearing a seat belt and deputies believe alcohol was a factor.

Investigators said they’re working to learn why the car Beenblossom was driving had Utah plates and where she was coming from.

LSO’s Crash Reconstruction team was on scene and will be investigating the crash.

Chief Houchin said the other driver, a woman driving a black Lincoln Navigator, was in the proper lanes when the crash happened.

Deputies reported that the Navigator had caught on fire and a witness, as well as responding deputies, helped get the driver of the Navigator out of the vehicle and into a deputy patrol unit.

According to Chief Houchin, that woman was taken to a local hospital and had non-life threatening injuries. As of Thursday morning, Chief Houchin said the woman had been released from the hospital.

Chief Houchin said the witness who helped pull the driver of the Navigator out of the burning vehicle saved her life and the driver is very lucky to have walked away from that head-on crash.

Northbound Highway 77 was shut down at Waverly Road for several hours before being reopened a little after 2 a.m.

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