Three people were killed and five other injured in a two vehicle accident on Interstate 80 near the Cozad exit in Dawson County.

The crash occurred around 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 25, when the driver of a westbound 2005 Jeep Liberty lost control of the vehicle. The SUV went through median and rolled into the eastbound lanes of I-80 (mm227) striking a 2006 Nissan Altima.

The driver of the Jeep, Anthony Hill, 16, Cozad along with passengers, Regina Hill, 41, Cozad and Dennis Alexander, 67, of Cozad, were killed in the crash. Two passengers in the Jeep, William Alexander, 19, of Cozad, and Kathryn McReynolds, 44, of Eustis, were flown by medical helicopter to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney with serious injuries.

The driver of the Nissan, Denton Tatman, 54, of Crawford, Colo., along with two passengers, Lisa Tatman, 51, of Crawford and Mariah Tatman,3, of Omaha, were transported to Lexington Regional Medical Center in Lexington with non-life threatening injuries.

The crash remains under investigation. The occupants of the Nissan were wearing seat belts. Seat belts were not in use in the Jeep.

Westbound lanes of I-80 were closed for approximately an hour and a half. Eastbound lanes were closed for more than three hours. Traffic was diverted at the Cozad exit to Highway 30.

The Nebraska State Patrol was assisted by the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, the Cozad and Lexington Police Departments and the Nebraska Department of Roads.