By Mark Overman
Scotts Bluff County Sheriff
On Friday, April 7, 2023 at 7:55 a.m., emergency personnel responded to a reported tractor trailer hauling hay colliding with BNSF locomotive. The collision happened at County Road 9 and BNSF Rail Crossing 089185H approximately 1/2 mile south of Hwy 26. The crossing includes a Rail Road Crossing sign indicating two tracks. There are no automated arms nor alarms. Both tracks had locomotives on them. The south track had an east bound locomotive, and the north track had a west bound locomotive. Deputies determined that west bound locomotive struck a north bound tractor/trailer driven by Johnny Hill, age 69, of rural Morrill man. Hill was transported to Regional West Medical Center by the Morrill Fire Department for non-life threatening injuries and later released.
In addition to the Sheriff’s Office and Morrill Fire Department, responding agencies also included the Nebraska State Patrol and Valley Ambulance.