Dad Learns Daughter Is Alive After Police Said She Died in Neb. Crash: 'God Is Good'

Hannah Wadiso, 18, survived a crash that killed two people and injured 20

Hours after receiving the worst news imaginable for a parent, a Nebraska father learned that his daughter had survived a deadly crash.

Over Memorial Day weekend, two people were killed and 20 others were injured in Lincoln. After the initial collision, "both vehicles left the roadway" and struck "multiple bystanders who had gathered" to watch a car show, police said in a press release.

Hannah Wadiso, an 18-year-old who had just graduated from high school, was among those who were injured in the crash, her father told ABC station KETV. However, he said that when he first arrived at the scene, he was told that she had died.

Tesfaye Ailbe told KETV that he had a bad feeling after his daughter left for the event on May 29.

Later that night he received a phone call from somebody who said they had helped pull his daughter from underneath a car, telling him that she was "in bad shape."

When he arrived at the scene, he said that he was told by an officer that his daughter had died after a vehicle rolled over her.

"On the road, we cried, fell down on our knees, [and] prayed," he told the outlet.

Two hours later, he got another phone call, saying that she was alive and in "critical condition" at a local hospital, per KETV.

In a statement released on Friday by Lincoln Police Chief Teresa Ewins authorities acknowledged that a "a devastating miscommunication with a family member at the scene" had taken place.

"The family member, Tesfaye Alibe, was called to the scene by a bystander who told him his daughter, Hannah, was hit by a vehicle. When Mr. Alibe arrived, he ran to one of the cars involved in the crash, pointed to one of the deceased, and told the officers it was his daughter. The officers, who had just been performing life-saving measures, confirmed she had not survived," police said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

"Mr. Alibe stayed on scene with officers and as additional information was gathered on his daughter it was determined she was not one of the young women killed in the vehicle. Hannah was one of the bystanders injured in the crash and had been taken to the hospital where she was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries," the statement continued. "We recognize the grief this tragic misunderstanding caused for all involved. We continue to work with Mr. Alibe and have acknowledged our sincere regret. We are grateful to report Hannah's condition is improving and hope for the continued improvement of the 19 additional victims."

Although Hannah's pelvis was crushed and she has a lengthy road to recovery ahead, her father said that he feels grateful his daughter is alive.

"God is good," he told KETV.

"The other two didn't get this chance," he told the outlet, referring to the deaths of Emily Siebenhor, 20, and Edith Hermosillo, 22, who were both pronounced dead at the scene after their vehicle was struck.

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According to a GoFundMe, Hannah is currently "hospitalized with at least 10 weeks of rehabilitation planned."

The GoFundMe organizer said they reached out to her father — a "wonderful" man who owned a local African restaurant that has since closed — as soon as they heard the news.

"The family is facing immense medical bills and caring for another child with special needs as well at home," the organizer wrote, sharing that any donation "will be a huge blessing."

The organizer added that the teen's father has "immense gratitude for the people who pulled the car off his daughter and saved her life."

Police said in a press release that the crash occurred shortly before 11 p.m. on May 29, when a Ford Taurus, which was "traveling close to 90 mph" struck a Toyota Corolla, which was carrying Siebenhor and Hermosillo.

Police claim that it has since been determined that the 18-year-old driver of the Ford Taurus, who turned himself in on Tuesday, was under the influence of marijuana.

The driver was arrested and charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of driving under the influence with serious bodily injury, according to police.