LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against three companies that were accused of negligence after a western Nebraska crash that killed a family, including a woman who was pregnant.

The lawsuit was filed by relatives and estates of Christopher and Diana Schmidt. The Gaithersburg, Md., couple died along with their two young children and unborn son on Interstate 80 in September 2012.

The Schmidts were in separate cars in standstill traffic after a crash that involved two trucks in Cheyenne County. Christopher Slezak’s car was then struck by another trucker, and the impact pushed his car into the car with his wife and children.

U.S. Magistrate Judge F.A. Gossett dismissed the lawsuit against the trucking and semi-trailer companies that were involved in the initial crash. The family’s relatives are appealing.