Reward offered in hit-and-run fatal crash on I-64

The family of an elderly Omaha man killed in a hit-and-run accident is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver.

On Friday evening, Ervin H. Goeden, 93, of Omaha, Nebraska, was a passenger in a car about 30 minutes away from Mount Vernon when a passing Cadillac STS swerved into their lane and struck their car, forcing it off the road and into a tree.

But the Cadillac driver did not stop, and continued eastbound on Interstate 64.

Goeden was a World War II Air Force veteran who flew B-17’s and was a navigator during the Cold War, according to KETV Omaha. He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force.

Goeden was killed in the crash; his wife of 42 years, 81-year-old Patricia Goeden, was critically injured. The driver in their car was not hurt, and told police that the Cadillac came up right behind them, changed lanes to pass, and then abruptly swerved into their car.

The family is offering a reward of $3,000 for information leading to the arrest of the hit-and-run driver. “It’s bad enough they were reckless, but to wantonly leave the scene of an accident that was obviously so severe is unconscionable,” said Bruce Goeden, Ervin’s son.

The car is described as a possibly-black Cadillac STS with a dark window, last seen driving eastbound on I-64 on Friday evening.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Illinois State Police District 13 at 618-542-2171, ext. 1202.

This story was originally published January 9, 2018 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Reward offered in hit-and-run fatal crash on I-64."