OMAHA, Neb. — As streets remained icy following recent winter storms, several neighbors stepped in to help push cars out of snowbanks after multiple pileups on a hilly block between 40th and 41st streets in Omaha.
The icy conditions caused repeated crashes Saturday afternoon, with several vehicles damaged, though fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
“I’ve had wrecks before, but nothing in the winter like this. This is insane. This is the second one. The first wreck had three cars involved, and then not 20 minutes later, four or five cars are wrecked in front of my house,” homeowner Lacey said.
One driver said she lost control while slowing down on the hill, hitting another car, which was then struck again as more vehicles became involved.
“They’re driving like it’s a normal day, like there’s no ice. The way they hit in the impact and how fast they were going, there was no way of stopping it,” Jay Barrett said.
Brothers Dauntae, Jaxxon, and Donovan ran outside after hearing one of the crashes.
“Just making Hot Pockets. And then out of nowhere, we just hear: boom! So, we jump up, forget the Hot Pockets,” Dauntae said. “We’ve been outside since, like, 10 a.m., just helping people.”
Nina Ahlf said she got a call that her car had been hit while parked on Pratt Street. When she arrived, she witnessed another pileup.
“As I’m trying, the first car comes down and hits the red vehicle. And then the second car and then the third, and then the Jeep comes down. That’s the one that caused a lot of damage. They hit one car and then swung and hit the light pole, and the light poles busted,” Ahlf said.
The brothers helped her dig her car out of the snowbank and even invited stranded drivers inside to warm up after spending hours outside in the cold.
“They needed a house. We gave them water. Made sure everybody was good. I got everybody warm until the cops figured everything out. And we just sat out there with the entire street,” Dauntae said.
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