71-year-old Nebraska man dies following crash on Interstate 80 near Milford

A 71-year-old Nebraska man died from injuries he received Sunday in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 near Milford.

Robert Robotham of Milford was taken to Bryan West Medical Center in Lincoln, where he died, a spokesman for the Nebraska State Patrol said. Eliud Benitez, 42, of Omaha, sustained minor injuries.

Investigators determined that an eastbound semitrailer truck driven by Jason May, 50, of Omaha lost control about 7:30 a.m. due to weather conditions and jackknifed near mile marker 385. Two other eastbound vehicles, a 2007 Mercury Mariner driven by Robotham and a 2016 Toyota pick driven by Benitez, struck the rear of the semi.

Robotham became trapped in the wreckage and had to be extracted by emergency crews. May was not injured.

About an hour later, a second semi lost control near the first crash, but no one was seriously injured. The eastbound semi driven by Tulkin Nizamov, 33, of Brooklyn, New York, crossed the median and sideswiped a westbound Dodge pickup truck driven by Tiffany Hale, 40, of Lincoln.

Investigators said Hale had slowed down after observing the previous crash and was able to maneuver to avoid a more serious collision with the semi. She and her two daughters were taken to Bryan West Medical Center, where they were treated and released.

Everyone involved in the two incidents were wearing seat belts. Freezing drizzle and snow  on the road and weather conditions contributed to both crashes, investigators said.

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