Lancaster County deputies say no charges will be filed in a crash that killed a UNO student earlier this month.
19 year old Merzedes Hart of Council Bluffs died after she was hit by a car on Highway 6 near Waverly on January 13th. Deputies say hart and two other women left Shaker's Gentlemen's Club and a minor argument ensued between Hart and one of the other women. The other woman began walking along Highway 6, and Hart got into a car with another person. They pulled over with the flashers on to convince the woman to get into the car. After a discussion both ran across the highway to get back to the vehicle, and Hart was hit after crossing the raised median. The driver of that car, 51 year old Ricky Phillips of Lincoln told deputies he thought he hit a deer, and stopped to check his car for damage before leaving the area before deputies arrived. Deputies contacted Phillips at his home within an hour of the crash.
Investigators say there is no evidence Phillips knew or should have known he had hit a pedestrian or knowingly left the scene of an injury accident. Phillips did have a suspended driver's license for not paying a fine, and he was cited for driving under suspension, but will not face any further charges related to the crash.
