Three people were hospitalized early Sunday after two unrelated crashes happened within the same construction-marked stretch of road near 78th and Blondo Streets in Omaha, according to police. Both wrecks unfolded around 1:20 a.m. at a spot where cones mark off an unpaved section of the intersection, and investigators believe alcohol may have played a role in each one.
The first crash involved a scooter rider who went through the cones and struck the unpaved ground, according to WOWT. That rider was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Police say a second, separate crash happened nearby at the same intersection when an SUV also drove through the cones and hit the unpaved section.
After that second crash, the SUV's driver left the scene, per police. Two women who were riding in the SUV were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries. As of the report, the driver's identity and whereabouts had not been disclosed, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Fleeing Driver Could Face Serious Charges
If the SUV driver is identified and the passengers' injuries are formally tied to the decision to flee, the legal exposure escalates quickly. Leaving the scene of a crash that causes only property damage is a Class II misdemeanor under Nebraska law, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to the Nebraska Legislature. Separately, a DUI causing serious bodily injury can carry up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine, with license revocation of at least 60 days.
Driving past posted construction barricades or Road Closed signs is itself a criminal traffic infraction under state rules of the road, giving officers probable cause for a stop even before any collision occurs. Nebraska's implied consent law also means any driver suspected of DUI who refuses a chemical breath or blood test faces an automatic one-year license revocation, a consequence separate from whatever charges may follow from the crash itself.
Construction Zone Raises Questions About Barricades
Work-zone traffic control includes procedures for directing vehicles around work areas. The back-to-back crashes at the same unpaved drop-off raise questions about the traffic-control setup at 78th and Blondo overnight, though that has not been determined.
Street work can leave temporary unpaved drop-offs marked off by cones during active work. Any driver involved in a crash causing more than $1,500 in property damage is required to file an official accident report with the state within 10 days.
Part of a Troubling Pattern Along Blondo Street
This is not the first serious incident along the corridor this month. Nine days before the double crash, a pedestrian was critically injured after being hit by a vehicle at 132nd and Blondo Streets, as Hoodline reported in troubled intersection crash. The repeated incidents have put a spotlight on safety at locations along Blondo Street.
The crashes also land amid a broader statewide conversation about traffic safety. Nebraska traffic fatalities hit 251 in 2024, the highest total in nearly two decades, before dropping to 228 deaths in 2025, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation. The fatality total fell by 23 in 2025.
Police have not said whether the scooter rider or the two hospitalized SUV passengers were given field sobriety or chemical tests, and the search for the SUV driver who left the scene continues. The investigation into both crashes remains active.
