By Brent Hardin

BROKEN BOW - A 15-year-old Elmwood-Murdock student was one of three people killed in a two-car accident on Highway 2 near Broken Bow Saturday afternoon.

Murdock resident Jacob Ita was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Impala when the vehicle crossed the center line and struck an eastbound pickup truck driven by 17-year-old Gentry Doane around 1 p.m. Ita and stepmother Tricia Ita, 39, were both killed in the crash. Ita's father, 43-year-old Thad Ita, died early Sunday morning from injuries sustained in the accident.

Two other passengers in the Ita vehicle were injured. Murdock resident Martina Ita, 10, was transported to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha in serious condition. Nineteen-month-old Jaelyn Ita was treated and released from Jennie M. Melham Memorial Medical Center in Broken Bow.

Thad, Tricia and Jaelyn Ita were all Rockville residents. Tricia Ita was an insurance agent at State Farm Insurance in Broken Bow. Thad was a rodeo judge with experience on both the Extreme Bullriding Tour and the Bull Riders of America circuit. He won the Nebraska State Rodeo Association's bull riding championship in 1989.

Doane, an Ansley resident, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney with injuries. He was listed in good condition Monday morning. All six people involved in the accident were wearing seat belts. Nebraska State Patrol officials said the cause of the accident was still under investigation.

Jacob Ita had just finished his freshman year at Elmwood-Murdock this spring and had been involved in both football and track at the school. Martina Ita will be a sixth-grader in the district this fall.

E-M superintendent Dan Novak told The Journal Monday that Jacob Ita was well liked within the district.

"He was a fun-loving kid," Novak said. "He was just a fun-loving, high-energy kid. He had a lot of friends at school."

Novak said counselors would remain available at school to help students and community members. Details on a memorial service for the family have not yet been determined.