Head-on collision in Polk County kills two people

POLK COUNTY, Neb. (KOLN) - The drivers of two vehicles were killed in a collision Friday night in Polk County, according to the sheriff’s office.

The crash happened east of Shelby, Neb. on Highway 81/92 shortly after 10 p.m.

According to Polk County Sheriff Dwaine Ladwig, 42-year-old Jesse Vasquez Espinoza, Jr. from North Dakota fell asleep behind the wheel of his 1990 Chevrolet pickup. The pickup veered across the center line and collided with a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu driven by 60-year-old Viola Peace from Polk County.

Sheriff Ladwig said both drivers were trapped inside their vehicles and had to be extricated. Espinoza was transported to Columbus Hospital and then life flighted to Bryan West in Lincoln, where he died. Peace was pronounced dead at the scene.

The sheriff’s office said Espinoza was wearing his seat belt but Peace was not. The accident is still under investigation by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The Nebraska State Patrol and Shelby Fire and Rescue assisted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.

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