2 dead and 20 injured in major car crash near annual Memorial Day event in Lincoln, Nebraska

At a press conference on Monday, Lincoln's chief of police said an 18-year-old man struck two women in their 20s in their car on Sunday night. YouTube

• Lincoln, Nebraska's police department said it is investigating a major car crash there. 
• The car crash, which happened late Sunday night, resulted in two deaths and 20 injuries.
• The crash happened near an annual event, but the cars were not participants, police said.

The police department of Lincoln, Nebraska, said on Monday that it was investigating what caused a major Sunday night car crash that left two women dead and 20 people injured. The crash took place as an annual Memorial Day weekend event called "Americruise," which has been held there since the mid-1990s, was winding down, police said.

At a press conference on Monday, Lincoln Chief of Police Teresa Ewins said near the event, where people gather to view and drive classic and modern cars, an 18-year-old man from Omaha driving a black Ford Taurus struck two Lincoln women in their 20s in a white Toyota Corolla at 10:47 p.m. on Sunday.

The two cars were not participating in the Americruise event, Ewins said.

Both women were pronounced dead at the scene, Ewins said, and the man was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Ewins said 20 bystanders sought treatment for injuries at local hospitals, with one in "critical, but stable condition" and the rest with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Ford had initially rolled onto its top, pinning two victims underneath, Ewins said, and "bystanders worked together to roll the vehicle back over and off the victims." The police chief added that her department was looking to address car collisions and drivers' dangerous behavior in Lincoln.