DENVER — Five people in an SUV were killed after the driver lost control amid heavy rain and crashed into a semi in Nebraska Sunday night, according to a release from the Nebraska State Patrol.
Three of the five victims were Colorado residents, authorities said.
Vanessa Gomez, 31; Nevaeh Montoya, 14; and Emma Reza, 13, all three from Westminster, were passengers in the Ford Expedition.
The two other victims — passenger Falicia Reza, 9, and driver Amy Rednest, 30, — were from Alliance, Nebraska, the state patrol said.
The crash occurred around 6 p.m. on U.S. 385 north of the town of Bridgeport. The state patrol said the area was experiencing heavy rain at the time of the crash.
The Ford Expedition was traveling northbound when the driver lost control, hydroplaned, and spun into the southbound lane, where the SUV was then struck in the rear by a southbound 18-wheeler, according to the release.
All five occupants of the Expedition were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The driver of the semi, Brian Schmer, 61, of Hudson, Colorado, was transported to the hospital in Bridgeport with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash remains under investigation.