On the night of May 29th, Lincoln, Nebraska, saw one of the most devastating tragedies in its history. Following the high school graduation of 18-year-old, Hannah Wadiso, her father Tesfaye Ailbe allowed her to go out with her friends, though he was initially uneasy about it.
“Around 7 p.m., she said she wanted to go and watch the car race on O Street. ‘Everybody‘s watching,’ she said,” recalls Hannah’s father.
Tesfaye was nervous.
“My heart didn’t settle down,” he said.
Two hours later, Tesfaye got a call from a stranger telling him that his daughter was in an accident and in bad shape. The news sent Tesfaye into a panic and he rushed out to find the crash. When he arrived, police told him that his daughter had passed away. In shock, Tesfaye and his family fell to their knees in prayer.
“I got this number. You don’t know me, but your daughter is in an accident and in bad shape, please reach her now,” the stranger said.
Wadiso rushed out of the house.
Once he arrived at the crash scene police told him he wasn’t allowed to go any further and that his daughter Hannah had passed away.
“They said you cannot get through, you cannot see her, touch her, this is under investigation,” Tesfaye recalled.
Police informed the shocked father that an 18-year-old man driving a black Ford Taurus had been driving under the influence and hit a Toyota Corolla. The impact caused both vehicles to leave the roadway, striking pedestrians, including Hannah, who had been pinned under one of the vehicles.
“On the road, we cried, fell down on our knees, prayed,” the dad explained.
A miracle happened.
A few hours later, he received a phone from the local hospital that Hannah was alive but in serious condition.
“She is in emergency, Bryan West, critical condition. The car ran over them and some people around them lifted the car up,” Ailbe said.
“Amen, hallelujah, thank you, Jesus, this is a chance,” Hannah’s father replied.
The news of the tragedy spread quickly, and Lincoln Police Chief Teresa Ewins soon released a statement about a devastating miscommunication that had occurred. Ewins explained that when Tesfaye arrived to the scene, he had pointed to one of the deceased, believing it was his daughter. Officers had confirmed that she had not survived, though in actuality, she had been taken to the hospital and was in critical condition.
Hannah had a crushed pelive and other serious injuries but she would survive.
Once the police chief learned of the horrible miscommunication he immediately addressed the mistake:
“A couple of days after the incident, Lincoln, Nebraska, Police Chief Teresa Ewins addressed the confusion:
“We want to share with you some information I was just made aware of yesterday afternoon regarding the devastating Memorial Day weekend crash here in Lincoln that has since been reported on by the media.
While evaluating our response to the fatal crash that occurred at 52nd and ‘O’ Street on Sunday, May 29th we discovered a devastating miscommunication with a family member at the scene. The family member, Tesfaye, was called to the scene by a bystander who told him his daughter, Hannah, was hit by a vehicle. When Mr. Alibe arrived, he ran to one of the cars involved in the crash, pointed to one of the deceased, and told the officers it was his daughter. The officers, who had just been performing life-saving measures, confirmed she had not survived.
Mr. Alibe stayed on scene with officers and as additional information was gathered on his daughter it was determined she was not one of the young women killed in the vehicle. Hannah was one of the bystanders injured in the crash and had been taken to the hospital where she was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
We recognize the grief this tragic misunderstanding caused for all involved. We continue to work with Mr. Alibe and have acknowledged our sincere regret. We are grateful to report Hannah’s condition is improving and hope for the continued improvement of the 19 additional victims.”