FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A warrant has been issued for a Madera man involved in a construction zone crash in Nebraska that killed three people.
Kenneth Kratt, 34, of Madera, California, has been charged in Nebraska with three counts of felony manslaughter.
Charging documents accuse Kratt of driving recklessly at the time of the Sept. 20 crash on Interstate 80.
According to the Nebraska State Patrol, traffic had slowed as it was entering a construction zone on eastbound I-80.
A semi-tractor/truck trailer, driven by Kratt, then failed to slow down and struck the traffic from the rear.
The initial collision caused a chain reaction, involving seven vehicles.
Investigators say the first vehicle struck by the semi was a Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Ryan Vanicek, 37, of Schuyler, with passenger Daniel Seelhoff, 50, of Lincoln.
Seelhoff was pronounced deceased on the scene. Vanicek was life-flighted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, where he was later pronounced deceased.
The driver of another vehicle, a Chevrolet Equinox, was also killed in the crash. Scott Gaylord, 54, of Lincoln, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, where he was pronounced deceased.
Three other people sustained injuries in the crash, but none were considered to be life-threatening.
Kratt was not seriously injured in the crash, State Patrol says.
If you know where Kratt is, please call the Buffalo County Attorney at (308) 236-1200.
Click to hear the report by KMJ’S Dana West:
