Authorities say a driver was going the wrong way when they crashed into a semitrailer on Highway 75 in Sarpy County early Wednesday morning.
The Sarpy County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash, which happened before 3 a.m. on Highway 75 between Chandler and Cornhusker roads.
Investigators say Omaha’s 911 dispatchers notified Sarpy County around a 2:50 a.m. of a report of a red Jeep going south in the northbound lanes of the highway.
Two minutes later, responders found the crash where they say a Red 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee was fully engulfed in flames after it hit a northbound semitrailer head-on.
The driver of the SUV, whose identity has not been released, was killed. The driver of the semitrailer, 52-year-old Milos Forcan, of Des Moines, refused medical treatment.
Sheriffs say it may take a while to identify the deceased.
“The victim was extensively burned to where we were trying to make the determination if it was male or female. We have some possible leads on identification,” said Captain John Kucer with the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office.
People first started notifying dispatchers about the wrong-way driver starting at the I-480 Martha Exit. Authorities say multiple witnesses tried to get the driver's attention and get them to stop.
SCSO is investigating whether the person was elderly and confused, wasn't familiar with the interstate, or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The crash left the section of highway closed in both directions for about six hours.
