UPDATED 10 a.m. Wednesday

ARCOLA — State police believe alcohol may be the reason two sisters were killed in a vehicle rollover early Wednesday in southern Douglas County.

Police said Ashlea D. Herschberger, 27, of Arthur, and Summer Pollock Gude, 26, of Humboldt, were both thrown out of the sport utility vehicle that Mrs. Herschberger was driving on U.S. 45 just south of Douglas County Road 100 N about 12:15 a.m.

The report said Mrs. Herschberger was driving north when she left U.S. 45 to the right, overcorrected and crossed over into the left ditch.
After hitting the ditch, the GMC Envoy went airborne and rolled over several times, throwing both women out.

Douglas County Coroner Joe Victor said he pronounced the sisters dead at the scene. He said they died of blunt force trauma. Toxicology tests will be done on their blood.

He said there was beer in the SUV and he learned that the women had been drinking at a bar in Humboldt, where Mrs. Gude had just started a new job on Tuesday night.

“The two sisters were together. The employer decided to take the trash out around midnight and when he came back in, the girls were gone,” said Victor, adding he wasn’t sure of the bar name. “When (the owner) was coming home, he stumbled on to the accident.”

Victor said police are not positive who was driving since both women were thrown from the SUV but they assume it was Mrs. Herschberger since the Envoy registered to her and her husband, Gregory Herschberger. Victor said it was destroyed.