132-MPH Chevy Corvette ZR1 Chase in Nebraska Leaves 3 Injured
The driver of the 638-horsepower ‘Vette was captured after crashing into a van.
The driver of a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was apprehended by Nebraska state police last Friday after leading cops on a high-speed chase through Omaha that only ended when the 638-horsepower sports car crashed into a trailer, leaving the 'Vette's three occupants injured, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
The driver, who the state patrol identified as 21-year-old Shaheer Atiqullah, was expected as of June 3rd to be arrested for driving with a suspended license, suspicion of felony flight to avoid arrest, willfull reckless driving, and speeding, according to the World-Herald.
In an account of the incident given to the World-Herald, Nebraska State Patrol sergeant Dan Klimek said the chase began when the Corvette passed a state trooper while merging onto the West Dodge Expressway from Interstate 680. When the trooper pulled up behind the ZR1, the driver took off, according to Klimek, eventually reaching speeds of 132 miles per hour.
The Corvette ZR1 exited the highway at 132nd Street, according to Klimek, and headed north—only to bounce off an HVAC van exiting a nearby subdivision, then slam into a trailer carrying lawn care equipment being towed by a trailer, where it came to a stop.
Atiqullah and two women in the car were injured in the crash, according to the World-Herald. All three were reportedly hospitalized, though the injuries were not life-threatening.
The trailer, Klimek said, likely saved the lives of the Corvette's passengers.
“Much like crumple zones on your car, it took the force of the impact out of it,” he told the paper. “Everybody in that Corvette would have been dead.”
Atiqullah had an existing warrant out for his arrest for driving under suspension, willful reckless driving, and failure to appear in court, according to Klimek. Court records reportedly show he also plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of exhibition driving earlier this year, the the World-Herald reports.
Well, at least Atiqullah didn't claim he was driving Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car.
