Pickup vs. semi not good for pickup

    Failure to yield at a county road intersection northwest of Lamar last Thursday afternoon resulted in the collision of a pickup and semi truck.
    Fortunately, neither the driver nor the passenger in the pickup were badly injured but they were transported to the Chase County Community Hospital by Imperial EMS.
    According to Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Mueller, Cody Strong, 29, of Holyoke, Colorado, was driving southbound on 314 Avenue about two miles northwest of Lamar.
    Mueller said Strong failed to heed a yield sign at the intersection of 314 Avenue and 742 Road.
    Justin Bussell, 34, of Lamar was westbound on 742 Road and was just entering the intersection. That’s when his 2006 Peterbilt semi tractor was struck broadside on the passenger side by the 2013 Chevy pickup that Strong was driving.
    The inertia of the collision spun the pickup into a nearby field on the northwest corner of the intersection but it did not roll.
    Mueller said a witness to the accident indicated Strong did not slow down for the yield sign before the collision.
    Several others factors played into the accident. There was a field of tall corn blocking Strong’s view of Bussell’s truck and recent rain kept down any dust from Bussell’s truck.
    Strong suffered some head lacerations and was treated and released. His passenger, Trent Verquer, was also transported to the hospital and released.
    Mueller said Strong was cited for failure to yield. The pickup, owned by Nebraska Game and Parks, was totalled, he added, with Bussell’s truck suffering about $10,000 in damage.
    The deputy advised drivers on country roads to slow down for intersections, especially where visibility is restricted due to tall crops.