One person is dead after an accident early Friday morning in Omaha, outside of the historic Gerald Ford Birthsite and Gardens in the Hanscom Park area
Omaha Police Sergeant Doug Klein said that the driver of a 2000 Dodge utility van hit a brick wall and gate at the site located at 32nd Avenue and Woolworth Street.
The accident was discovered about 4:25 a.m. at the memorial honoring the former president and Omaha native, but it may have happened two hours earlier when neighbors reported hearing a loud noise. Police said that there were no witnesses
Klein said it appeared that the van was northbound on 32nd Avenue when it slammed into the south edge of the gardens, crashing part way through a small brick retaining wall and a wrought-iron fence.
The male victim’s name has not been released and police believe speed and slick streets from the rain contributed to the accident.
Klein went on to say that this isn’t the first accident at that location as it is a dangerous intersection and with the overnight rain it can be hard to see. Last year the police investigated a hit-and-run accident that damaged the same gate and brick wall causing $20,000 in damage at the birthsite.
