NSP Investigator Hits, Kills Woman Crossing Highway

     A woman crossing a highway in northeastern Nebraska was hit and killed early Thursday by a Nebraska State Patrol cruiser. Names have not been released.

      The State Patrol says an investigator was driving south on Highway 77 near Walhill when his vehicle struck a woman in the southbound lane. He called for paramedics but the woman died at the scene. 

       A preliminary investigation shows the woman had left a home near the highway, crossed the northbound lane, then was hit as she tried to cross the southbound lane.

       The patrol has asked the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the crash to avoid conflict of interest issues. The investigator has been put on paid leave as called for by State Patrol policy.