Seventh Traffic Fatality

YORK — With a seventh person having died due to traffic accidents in York County in less than a month, Sheriff Dale Radcliff is urging caution while driving.

Brandon Taylor, 25, of Lincoln, died Saturday, Dec. 18, at a Lincoln hospital, after suffering a severe head injury in an accident last Wednesday on Interstate 80 near the Waco interchange.

Taylor’s car went under a semi after the semi jackknifed due to icy road conditions.

Taylor’s passenger, Bradley Cusatis Sr., 44, of Lincoln, was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Nov. 20, two women and their young children were killed, on I-80 near the Henderson interchange, when the driver lost control of the vehicle which then crossed the median into an oncoming semi. Socorro Sepulveda, 22, of Holdrege, and her infant son, Dominic Perez, along with Martha Machado-Delgado, 31, of Hastings, and her two-year-old daughter, Zoe Hernandez, were pronounced dead at the scene. Perez was taken to the Henderson Hospital, but it was determined that he was already deceased.

And on Friday, Nov. 26, a 20-year-old Aurora man was killed at the York interchange. Investigators said he was attempting to merge into interstate traffic when he lost control of his vehicle which also crossed the median and  into an oncoming truck. Jordan Schaffert was pronounced dead at the scene.


“We have had seven people die on the interstate, in York County, in less than a month and I can’t stress enough that motorists need to be very, very careful this time of year because of the changing weather,” Sheriff Dale Radcliff said Monday morning. “These have been awful, tragic accidents and we just don’t want to see this pattern continue.

“I just want to urge drivers to be aware of the weather conditions,” Sheriff Radcliff said. “Sometimes it doesn’t appear to be icy, but it is. Just make sure you know what you’re dealing with (as far as driving surface is concerned). If the weather is bad and the driving conditions are dangerous, do not go out on the roads. And if you have to be on the roads or find yourself driving in bad conditions, pay very close attention. Reduce your speeds, do not use your cruise control. Put the cell phones away and get rid of all distractions.

“We don’t want to see any more people die out there,” Radcliff said. “Just be careful and aware, we can’t stress that enough.”

Provided By: York News Times