What happened
Christopher Szalkowski, 70, died Sunday afternoon, October 4, after a pickup truck that investigators say ran a red light struck his car at the intersection of Ida Street and Irvington Road in the Irvington area of northwest Omaha.
Douglas County Sheriff's deputies were called to the intersection shortly before 4 p.m. According to the sheriff's office, Szalkowski was driving a blue Porsche 911 south on Irvington Road when a black GMC Sierra traveling west on Ida Street failed to stop at a red light and hit his car. Bennington Fire paramedics took him to the UNMC emergency room with life-threatening injuries, and he was pronounced dead there. (WOWT; 3 News Now)
The driver of the Sierra, 32-year-old Jose Ortega-Romero, was booked into the Douglas County jail on suspicion of disobeying a stop light, driving without an operator's license and misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide. Those charges are allegations; he has not been convicted of anything. Bond was set at $7,500, with 10 percent required. He posted bond shortly after midnight Monday, and because federal immigration officials had placed a detainer on him, the Nebraska State Patrol took custody of him before his release. He is being held at the Sarpy County Department of Corrections. (1011 NOW)
The sheriff's office says the investigation is continuing and has asked anyone with information to call its tip line at 402-444-6000.
Our condolences
Christopher Szalkowski was out on an ordinary Sunday afternoon in early fall, driving through an intersection where, investigators say, it was the other driver who faced the red light. He did not come home. To his family and friends, we are deeply sorry. We know that no explanation, charge or court date can fill the space he leaves behind, and we are keeping all of you in our prayers.
We also thank the deputies and the Bennington Fire crew who worked that intersection and did everything they could to save him.
Safety context
Intersections are among the most dangerous places on any road. According to the Federal Highway Administration's Intersection Safety program, roughly one-quarter of traffic fatalities and about one-half of all traffic injuries in the United States each year are attributed to intersections, and signalized intersections account for about one-third of intersection deaths, a large share of them involving red-light running.
Here in Nebraska, the Nebraska Department of Transportation reported that 15 people were killed in traffic crashes on Nebraska roads in August 2026 alone. Every one of those numbers is a family like the Szalkowskis.
A few habits can make a difference at signals like the one at Ida and Irvington:
- Pause before you go on green. Take one beat and look left and right before entering the intersection. Red-light runners usually arrive in the first seconds after the light changes.
- Treat a yellow as a warning to stop, not to speed up. The signal's timing is built for drivers who slow down.
- Watch the cross street, not just your light. A vehicle that isn't slowing as it approaches its red light is a vehicle that may not stop.
The rights of families after a crash like this
In general terms, when a person is killed because another driver was negligent, Nebraska law allows the person's personal representative to bring a wrongful death claim for the benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-810, that claim generally must be filed within two years of the death. A wrongful death claim can include the loss of the financial support, care and companionship the person would have given the family, and the estate may also have a claim for the person's own medical and funeral expenses and conscious pain before death.
As to this crash specifically: if the sheriff's account that the pickup failed to stop at a red light is accurate, the Szalkowski family may have a wrongful death claim against the driver of the pickup. In crashes where one driver enters an intersection against a red signal and strikes cross traffic, that driver's negligence is usually the central question in the claim. The criminal case and the civil claim are separate. A family does not have to wait for a criminal conviction to pursue a civil claim, and the civil claim is decided under a lower standard of proof.
Insurance may be the hardest part of a case like this. The reporting says the pickup's driver did not have an operator's license. News reports do not say whether he or the pickup carried liability insurance, or who owns the pickup. That matters for several reasons:
- If the pickup was owned by someone else, the owner's insurance policy may apply. An owner who lets an unlicensed driver use a vehicle may also face a separate claim of their own.
- If the pickup was being used for work, the employer and its commercial policy may also be responsible. Nothing reported says whether it was.
- If there is little or no insurance on the at-fault side, the family should look closely at Szalkowski's own auto policy. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 44-6408, every auto liability policy issued in Nebraska must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and many drivers buy limits well above the minimum. That coverage exists precisely for crashes like this one.
Nebraska's comparative fault law, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-21,185.09, reduces a recovery by a person's own share of fault and bars it only if that share is equal to or greater than the fault of the others. Nothing in the reporting suggests Szalkowski did anything wrong, but insurers sometimes look for ways to shift blame, which is one reason to preserve evidence early: the intersection's signal timing records, nearby business and traffic cameras, witness accounts, and the data recorders in both vehicles.
Learn more about your rights: families affected by this crash may want to read about how a Nebraska wrongful death claim works and what it can recover, about claims after a red-light crash in the Omaha area, about local representation for Omaha families, and about getting a Nebraska crash report.
How I help families in crisis
When someone is killed by a driver who allegedly ran a red light, the family is suddenly dealing with grief, a criminal case they didn't ask to be part of, and insurance questions that may not have easy answers. My job is to help families through exactly this kind of crisis: to take the stress from their shoulders, take up the shield to protect and advocate for the rights of the person they lost, and guide them through the difficult months ahead.
That means getting the sheriff's full crash report and following the criminal case so the family knows where it stands. It means moving fast to preserve the signal data, camera footage and vehicle data before it is lost. It means tracking down every insurance policy that might apply, including the family's own uninsured and underinsured coverage, and dealing with every adjuster so no one is pressured into a statement or a quick settlement while they are still mourning.
Over my career I have recovered more than $23 million for injured people and grieving families, earned countless five-star client reviews and the respect of fellow attorneys, and been honored with Best of Omaha recognition for personal injury in 2025 and 2026.
If your family was affected by this crash, I'm glad to sit down with you whenever you're ready. Talking it through with me is free and carries no obligation, and you pay no fee unless I win.
Frequently asked questions
- What happened in the red-light crash at Ida Street and Irvington Road in northwest Omaha?
- Shortly before 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 4, 2026, a southbound Porsche 911 on Irvington Road was struck at Ida Street by a westbound GMC Sierra that, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, failed to stop at a red light. The Porsche's 70-year-old driver died at the UNMC emergency room.
- What are the rights of families after a crash like this?
- If another driver's negligence caused the death, Nebraska lets the personal representative bring a wrongful death claim for the spouse and next of kin, generally within two years. Where the at-fault driver has little or no insurance, the family's own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may apply.
- How does Frank Younes help families after something like this?
- Frank takes the legal burden off the family: following the crash investigation and criminal case, preserving signal data, camera footage and vehicle data, finding every insurance policy that might apply, and handling every adjuster. The first conversation is free, and there is no fee unless he wins.
Related coverage
Driver, 60, Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries in Reported Red-Light Crash at 84th and Dodge in Omaha
Cameron Colter, 20, of Council Bluffs Dies After a Semi Struck the Car He Was Riding In at 204th and Bennington Road in Douglas County; Both Occupants Killed
Your Attorney
Frank Younes
Every page on this site is written by Frank Younes, a Nebraska trial attorney with a published record of verdicts and settlements, selection to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, and a practice that covers every county in Nebraska and Iowa. No case is handed to an associate — the lawyer you read here is the lawyer who works your case.
More about Frank → · Free consultation: (402) 378-9208