NORTH PLATTE, NE  — Nebraska State Patrol troopers arrested a Michigan man following a crash on Interstate 80 that injured a Keith County Sheriff’s Deputy Wednesday night.

In a news release, the NSP says, around 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, a trooper was providing traffic control for a semi-truck that was broken down on the inside shoulder of westbound I-80 near Sutherland.

A Keith County Sheriff’s Department Deputy was on scene assisting. They had their emergency lights on and were just east of the scene to alert oncoming motorists of the broken down semi-truck. 

The deputy’s vehicle was then struck from behind by a Nissan Sentra, occupied by three people. The deputy was inside the vehicle at the time of the collision and was injured in the crash. A person who claimed to be a passenger in the Nissan was also injured.

Both were transported to the hospital in Ogallala with non-life-threatening injuries. The deputy was treated and released late Wednesday evening.

An investigation by the NSP determined that the injured person from the Nissan had actually been the driver, not a passenger.

After being treated for minor injuries, the driver, 24-year-old Emmanuel Phifer of Michigan, was arrested for false reporting, violation of the move over law, no operator’s license, and reckless driving. He was lodged in Keith County Jail.

Westbound I-80 was closed for approximately 2.5 hours due to the crash.