A Nebraska judge has ruled that a potentially damaging and expensive lawsuit involving the deaths of four teens can move forward.

The judge denying requests from the Ford Motor Company, a guardrail firm and Sarpy County that the case be thrown out.

It's been nearly 2 1/2 years since a highly publicized one-car crash left four Gretna girls dead and a fifth injured.

The judge siding with the teens’ families ruling that their initial complaint is sufficient to at least claim “negligent infliction of emotional distress.”

The lawsuit, which has a long way to go, finds a stretch of 180th Street near Platteview Road in the legal crosshairs.

The families specifically accusing Sarpy County of creating a “defective” road with poor construction and maintenance, failing to “properly warn” drivers of the dangers and failing to prevent or mitigate other crashes.

The county’s actions said to be “negligent, reckless and or willful.”

A News Channel Nebraska investigation [View our full video report above] has revealed several bumps in the road on all sides of the dispute.