Five members of a Minnesota family were killed in a multiple vehicle crash on Interstate 80 near Brule, Nebraska on Sunday. Brule is in Keith County, Nebraska about nine miles west of Ogallala.

Killed in the crash were, Jamison Pals, 29, his wife, Kathryne Pals, 29, both of Minneapolis, MN., and the couple’s three children, three-year old Ezra, 23-month old Violet, and two-month old Calvin.

The crash occurred in a construction zone, in the westbound lane of I-80 west of Brule, just before 11:30 AM (Mountain Time). Preliminary investigation into the crash indicates, a westbound semi, struck the rear of the Pals’ 2006 Dodge minivan The force of the collision then pushed the semi and the Pals’ minivan into a 1994 Plymouth Voyager minivan, a 2015 Nissan Rogue (SUV) and a 2013 Ford van, all traveling westbound. Both the semi and the minivan involved in the initial crash were engulfed in flames.

The driver of the semi, was transported to Sedgewick County Hospital in Julesburg, CO, where he was treated and released. Upon his release from the hospital, the driver of the semi identified as Tony A. Weekly, 53, Baker, Florida, was arrested and charged with five counts of felony motor vehicle homicide.

Six people in the three other vehicles involved were transported to Ogallala Community Hospital. The driver of the 1994 Plymouth Voyager minivan, Terry Sullivan, 56, Denver, Colorado, was transported to the Ogallala hospital, then flown to St. Anthony Hospital in in Denver. Two passengers in the SUV, Paola Velez, 33, and Martiniana Velez, 53, both of Eagle Pass, Texas, were transported to the Ogallala hospital, then flown to Northern Colorado Medical Center, Greeley. The male driver of the SUV along with a male passenger in the Plymouth minivan, were transported to the Ogallala Community Hospital, where they were admitted in stable condition. The driver of the 2013 Ford van was treated and released.

The crash which occurred in a construction zone with a reduced speed limit of 65 mph and head to head traffic, closed 10 miles of Interstate 80 both east and westbound for approximately six hours.

The investigation into the crash continues.

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