Fernando Ortiz Obituary, Death; Driver involved in accident to the east of Waverly has been named

 Fernando Ortiz Obituary, Death— The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office (LSO) has verified the identity of the individual who unfortunately passed away after a crash that occurred east of Waverly on Thursday.

On Friday, LSO recognized the deceased individual as 86-year-old Fernando Ortiz, residing in Waverly. He tragically died from his injuries at the location of the accident.

Emergency responders from Waverly Fire and Rescue were called to the junction of N. 162nd Street and Bluff Road at 9:14 a.m. on Thursday.

As per Capt. John Vik of LSO, a dump truck belonging to the Lancaster County Engineering Department, moving in the south direction, collided with a red vehicle traveling west at the intersection. The collision resulted in the red vehicle being forced through the intersection and into an adjacent ditch.

On Friday, LSO reported that the driver of the dump truck failed to halt at a stop sign due to the foggy conditions that were present in the area.

The passenger of the red vehicle, who is Ortiz’s spouse, was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries and is currently in a serious but stable condition. LSO mentioned that seatbelts were being worn during the accident.

In addition, one dog that was present in the vehicle was taken to an animal clinic in Waverly for treatment.

Capt. Vik mentioned that the dump truck driver is completely cooperating with the current investigation. Prior to the incident, the dump truck driver had been spreading gravel on the road, according to LSO.

An investigation is underway by LSO along with the Nebraska State Patrol to determine if any citations will be issued.

This event represents the fourth traffic-related fatality in Lancaster County over the past two weeks.