Merzedes Hart
Investigators in Nebraska are still looking into last weekend’s hit-and-run crash that killed a young woman from southwest Iowa.
Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner says they want to clarify what happened Friday night near Waverly, Nebraska, when 19-year-old Merzedes Hart of Council Bluffs was struck and killed by a car.
“The involved vehicle left the scene initially,” Wagner says. “We were able to locate that vehicle and driver. He has been interviewed and released. The investigation is continuing.”
The accident happened near Shakers Gentlemen’s Club northeast of Lincoln. The sheriff says the unidentified motorist hit Hart as she walked to her car on U.S. Highway 6, then left the scene.
“The driver didn’t come back. The driver thought he had struck a deer,” Wagner says. “We are working to determine and verify his statements to use. No, he didn’t come back to the scene. We located his vehicle at his residence.” As yet, no charges are filed.
Hart was a student at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and was a member of UNO’s track and field team. There was a track meet in Lincoln that weekend. Hart was a freshman, majoring in business.