Nebraska's highway safety administrator says he felt sad and frustrated that four accident victims in two accidents near Columbus were not wearing seat belts.

The four victims all were ejected from their vehicles Saturday. One was killed, and two suffered critical injuries.

The accident reports sound all too familiar, said Fred Zwonechek of the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.

This year's statistics show that 80 percent of the 102 people killed in Nebraska accidents were not using seat belts, Zwonechek said.

"It's frustrating because I know that the 2 1/2-second act of buckling up could save lives or keep someone from a disabling injury," he said.

Shane Gottsch, 20, of Columbus, died Sunday at Creighton Medical Center in Omaha as the result of injuries he suffered when his pickup truck collided with a cow. The Platte County Sheriff's Office report said Gottsch was ejected from his pickup truck about 7 a.m. Saturday on 445th  Avenue, 16 miles west of Columbus.

Three people were injured, including two critically, in a rollover accident that occurred about 4:45 a.m. just north of Columbus.

Lt. Kevin Schuller of Platte County said Brian Browning, 30, of Humphrey, Neb., was driving a pickup truck south on 18th Avenue when it went out of control on a curve, rolled into a ditch and came to rest in a field. Browning and his passengers --- Jacob Biehle, 20, of Madison, Neb., and Toni Krumland, 20, of Columbus --- were all ejected from the truck.

Krumland was flown to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and Biehle was taken to BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln, both in critical condition. Browning was taken to Columbus Community Hospital with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening.

A hospital spokesman said Krumland remained in critical condition Monday. Biehle had improved to fair condition.

Nebraskans as a whole use seat belts 84 percent of the time on the road, but Zwonecheck said young adults in rural areas continue to lag behind the rest of the state.

"There's this belief that there isn't much traffic and nothing bad is going to happen," he said. "But there's no arguing with the fact that seat belts save lives --- so, you know, we've got more work to do."

Contact the writer:

402-444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com