Driver for ride-hailing service killed in head-on crash

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN/Gray News) - A driver for a ride-hailing service was killed in a head-on collision near South 84th Street and Old Cheney Road in Nebraska, authorities said.

According to a crash report, 49-year-old Amare Biftu, of Lincoln, was killed Saturday afternoon.

The crash, which sent three vehicles careening into each other, injured another three people.

First responders were called to the area just after 3 p.m. for reports of the crash. They discovered four vehicles crashed along South 84th Street.

An investigation showed that one vehicle was heading south on 84th Street and suddenly crossed the median, colliding with Biftu’s vehicle in the northbound lane.

The head-on crash hit Biftu’s vehicle with enough force to launch his engine block into another vehicle in the right northbound lane. Another vehicle behind Biftu’s in the left lane then collided with his vehicle.

Biftu was pronounced dead at the scene.

His passenger, a Rhode Island man, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Lincoln police said Biftu worked for Uber.

Both drivers in the northbound lanes near Biftu’s vehicle were not injured.

The driver and passenger in the vehicle that crossed the southbound lane both suffered serious injuries and were transported to the hospital.

The crash report shows that the driver, a 40-year-old Lincoln woman, is suspected of being under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the crash.

No arrests nor citations have been made. Lincoln police said the crash remains under investigation pending toxicology results from the 40-year-old driver.

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