HomeMy Public PortalAboutAutomobile Accidents : Highway 5564ar - lyPws-
11 /3% 8" .5
4 hurt in wreck south of Lake Fork
A 27-year-old Boise man and a 25-year-old Boise
woman remained hospitalized Tuesday following a
two -car collision on Idaho 55 just south of Lake Fork
at about 9:25 p.m. Saturday.
Corporal Marvin Miller of Idaho State Police said
Richard J. Schuit, 27, 1310 N. 5th, Boise, was south -
bound in Volkswagen van when he collided head-on
with a northbound 1985 Subaru station wagon driven
by Kelly Van Slyke, age unknown, 3215 S. Montana,
Caldwell.
Schuit was in stable and improving condition at St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, while a
passenger in his van, Lori Bloomfield, 25, Boise, was
in stable condition at McCall Memorial Hospital, ac-
cording to spokesmen at both hospitals.
Van Slyke and his wife, Jeanne, 25, were treated
and released at McCall Memorial Hospital, accor-
ding to a hospital spokesman.
Miller said the accident is still under investigation.
He said it appeared the accident took place while
Schuit was attempting to pass another southbound
vehicle. In passing, his van collided with the Van
Slyke auto just south of a small bridge on the south
side of Lake Fork, Miller said.
Schuit was trapped in the wreckage and required
extracation by McCall Fire Department rescue per-
sonnel who had responded to the accident along with
the Donnelly Quick Response Unit.
Both vehicles were destroyed in the accident,
Miller said.
Schuit was transferred from the intensive -care unit
at St. Al's on Tuesday and his condition was upgrad-
ed to stable.
Miller said that because of poor road conditions
due to falling snow at the time of the accident, both
vehicles were traveling at about 35 mph at the time of
the accident.
514e - 7/ 3/ e5"..5—
Suzan Marie Herman
Suzan Herrman
Suzan Marie Herman, 19, of
McCall, died on Sunday from in-
juries suffered in an automobile
accident near McCall.
Graveside services will be at 2
p.m. today in the Finnish
Cemetery near Lake Fork. Ser-
vices will be conducted by the
Rev. Larry Roberts under the
direction of Heikkila Funeral
Chapel in McCall.
She was born Aug. 26, 1965, in
Hawaii to Gerald and Linda
Sherrill. She lived nine years in
McCall and attended McCall -
Donnelly High School. She mar-
ried Rob Herman in March 1982.
Survivors are her parents, her
husband, a son, Skye, and a
daughter, Amber, all of McCall;
two brothers, Joseph and James,
and a sister, Christina, all of Mc-
Call; her grandparents; several
aunts, uncles and cousins.
McCall woman dies,
five hurt in wreck
By Randall Brooks
The Star -News
A McCall woman was killed
and five other area residents in-
jured when two cars collided
on Idaho 55 just south of McCall
early Sunday afternoon, accor-
ding to Idaho State Police.
Va11yCounty Coroner Marvin
Heikkila said Suzan M. Herman,
19, suffered traumatic chest in-
juries and was pronounced dead
shortly after she was transported
to McCall Memorial Hospital.
1SP Cpl. Mitch Ruska said
Herman was a passenger along
with her two children, Amber,
31/2, and a son, Skye, 2, in an
automobile driven by her hus-
band, Rob Herman, 22.
Ruska said the Herman car was
traveling north at 12:40 p.m.
Sunday about 300 feet south of
the McCall city limits when it and
a southbound car driven by Mat-
thew G. Haxforth, 18, McCall,
collided.
The Haxforth car was attempt-
ing to pass another southbound
vehicle at the time of the acci-
dent, Ruska said.
Ruska estimated the speed of
the vehicle driven by Haxforth at
55 mph when it met the Herman
car, traveling at 40 mph, head-on
in the northbound lane.
The impact forced the Herman
car off the east side of the road-
way, where it came to rest facing
south. The Haxforth car came to
rest in the ditch facing east,
Ruska said.
The accident victims were
taken to the McCall Memorial
Hospital by emergency medical
technicians. Two of the injured
were later transferred to Boise
last Sunday afternoon by
helicopter and a third victim was
taken to Boise by ambulance.
A passenger in the car driven
by Haxforth, Craig D. Eberle,
18, McCall, was in an intensive
care unit at St. Alphonsus
Regional Medical Center in Boise
Tuesday listed in serious, but
stable, condition.
Eberle suffered two broken
legs, fractured ribs, and facial
cuts. Haxforth was also in the
Boise hospital, and was listed in
fair condition with a fractured
lee.
Rob Herman suffered exten-
sive head injuries in the accident
and way moved moved rointensive
,. fm
care Monday night. However, he
was still listed in serious, but
stable, condition by a hospital
spokesperson.
Amber Herman was in the Mc-
Call Memorial Hospital Tuesday.
listed in fair condition with a
broken leg. Her brother, Skye,
who was strapped in a child's'
safety seat at the time of the acci-
dent, was treated and released to
his grandparents Sunday after
suffering only minor injuries` in.
the accident. .
The accident was still under in-
vestigation and no citations had
been issued, Ruska said.
Suzan Herman had lived in
McCall for nine years and was a
graduate of McCall -Donnelly
High School. She was born in
Hawaii, the daughter of Gerald
and Linda Sherill. She married
Rob Herman in 1982.
Her husband, Rob, has worked
in McCall since his graduation
from McCall -Donnelly High
School.
Both Eberle and Haxforth are
1985 McCall -Donnelly High
- School graduates. Eberle, son of
.Don and Ann Eberle of McCall,
has been one of the top junior
alpine ski racers in the Northwest
for several years. -
Haxforth, a native of England,
came to McCall in 1984 as an ex-
change student and has been stay-
ing with relatives in the area.
A fund uto assist the Herman
family has been established at
Treasure Valley Bank in McCall.
Contributions should be sent to
the Herman Family. Fund,
Treasure Valley Bank, McCall,
Idaho 83638.
Oct D73. 1915
Not guilty plea entered in auto death
Matthew G. Haxforth pleaded
not guity on Monday to a charge
of involuntary manslaughter in
Valley County Magistrate's
Court in Cascade.
Magistrate Darla Williamson
set Feb. 25, 1986, as the date for
trial on the charge.
Haxforth, 18, of McCall, is
charged in connection with a
June 30 automobile accident on
Idaho 55 south of McCall which
resulted in the death of Suzan
Herman, 19, of McCall.
During his investigation of the
accident, Idaho State Police Cpl.
Mitch Ruska said Haxforth was
driving a car in which Craig
Eberle, 18, of McCall, was a
passenger.
The car was attempting to pass
another southbound car when it
struck a northbound vehicle con-
taining Herman, her husband
Robert Herman, and their two
children, Skye and Amber.
Suzan Herman suffered
traumatic chest injuries and died
later that day at McCall
Memorial Hospital.
Robert Herman was taken to a
Boise hospital with extensive
head injuries. Amber, 3 1/2 , suf-
fered a fractured leg and Skye, 2,
was not seriously injured.
Eberle reportedly suffered two
broken legs and fractured ribs
and Haxforth received one
broken leg.
If convicted, Haxforth could
face up to one Kar in the Valley
County Jail and a maximum fine
of $2,000.
In addition to the criminal
charge, Haxforth has also been
named as defendant in a $1.6
million wrongful death suit filed
in U.S. District Court in Boise on
behalf of members of the Her-
man family.
r-77 s-/ s/s/w,
Haxforth convicted in McCall auto death
By Bradley Blum
The Star -News
A six -member jury took less
than an hour of deliberation Fri-
day to find Matthew Haxforth
guilty of misdemeanor involun-
tary manslaughter.
Haxforth, of McCall, was
charged in connection with the
June 30, 1985, death of Suzan
Herman, who was a passenger in
a car driven by her husband,
Robert.
The Herman car and a car
driven by Haxforth collided
head-on near the McCall airport
on Idaho 55.
Following the reading of the
verdict, Haxforth, a citizen of the
United Kingdom, told Valley
County Magistrate Darla
Williamson that she need not
worry about him fleeing before
his March 24 sentencing.
"I still wish to prove my in-
nocence in this case, so I'll be
were traveling south on Idaho 55
behind a pickup when he saw the
hite Subaru Haxforth was driv-
ing pull out from in front of the
pickup as if to pass and then col-
ided with the Herman car.
Josh Zenzic, a 14-year-old
reshman at McCall -Donnelly
igh School, testified that he was
iding his bicycle on Idaho 55 at
he time of the accident.
Zenzic said he was on a rise
ust south of where the collision
ook place and saw the white car
ull into the northbound lane to
ass another vehicle just before
lliding with the Herman car.
Kerrick also called Craig
here," he said.
Haxforth faces a maximum
sentence of a year in the Valley
County Jail and up to a $2,000
fine.
Williamson continued to allow
Haxforth to be free without
bond, but told him to call in to
the Valley County Sheriff's Of-
fice each day until his sentencing.
When asked whether he was
surprised by the verdict and the
jury's short deliberation period
after the four -day trial, Haxforth
said, "Amazed!" and left the
courtroom.
Throughout the trial, Haxforth
and his attorney, James Kaufman
of Boise, maintained that the col-
lision between the two cars
resulted from the northbound
Herman car swerving into the
southbound lane.
Haxforth, whose car was
southbound at the time, testified
that he swerved left at the last se -
Eberle of McCall to the stand to
testify for the prosecution.
Eberle was a passenger in the
Subaru, which he and Haxforth
borrowed that day from Alexan-
dra Edwards, daughter of Frank
Edwards and Idaho Rep. Lydia
Justice Edwards of Donnelly.
Eberle, who suffered serious
injuries in the collision, said that
the last thing he could recall
before regaining consciousness in
the hospital was Haxforth pulling
out to pass a pickup, seeing the
oncoming Herman car and telling
Haxforth that he would not be
able to complete the pass.
A $1.5 million civil suit filed on
behalf of the survivors of Suzan
cond to avoid the Herman car.
Haxforth said that Herman
swerved back into his own lane of
traffic at the last second as well,
which was why the two cars col-
lided in the northbound lane and
came to rest in the ditch on the
east side of the highway.
However, Haxforth's version
of the testimony was disputed by
testimony from Idaho State
Police Cpl. Mitch Ruska, McCall
Emergency Medical Technician
Richard Matthews, who re-
counted statements Haxforth
made following the accident, and
ISP Cpl. Roger Arnott, who
reconstructed the accident.
Valley County Prosecuting At-
torney Carl Kerrick also produc-
ed three witnesses to the accident
who countered Haxforth's story.
Donald Reusser of McCall
testified that he and his family
Matt Haxforth
Herman is scheduled to be heard
July 8 in U.S. District Court in
Boise, said William Killen, the
McCall attorney representing the
Herman family.
No civil action has been taken
by Eberle, but his attorney, John
Fitzgerald of Boise, is continuing
to negotiate with the All State In-
surance Company, which was
providing liability coverage on
the Edwards's car, said Kim
Clune, a casualty claims adjuster
for the company in Boise.
Kaufman attempted to
discredit Eberle's testimony by
pointing to discrepancies between
what he told Alexandra Edwards
about the incident during his stay
in St. Alphonsus Regional
Medical Center in Boise and what
he testified to later.
Kaufman also pointed out
several times that the attorneys
representing Eberle and Robert
Herman were both present in the
court throughout the trial and
that each stood to receive up to a
quarter -million dollars from the
Edwards' insurance company if
Haxforth is found to have been
negligent.
Kaufman called Lydia Ed-
wards and Haxforth's sister, Pen-
ny Eberle, to testify that Hax-
forth had told them at the McCall
hospital following the collision
that the Herman car had swP-
into his lane of traffic.
1 dies in Idaho 55 wreck
A Payette man was killed and
three other people were injured
early Thursday when the pickup
in which they were riding ran off
the road and crashed on Idaho 55
a mile south of Donnelly, Idaho
State Police said.
Joseph L. Cruse, 18, was dead
at the scene of the accident, ISP
Cpl. Mitch Ruska said. Cruse ap-
parently was asleep in the cab of
the pickup when the accident
happened about 4:45 a.m.
The driver of the pickup,
William J. Coble, 18, of Ontario,
apparently fell asleep at the
wheel, Ruska said. The pickup
drifted off the pavement and
went into the ditch.
The pickup struck the embank-
ment, became airborne and flew
113 feet into the air before strik-
ing a cement culvert and rolling
through a fence, he said.
Cruse was thrown through the
front windshield and Coble was
partially ejected from the pickup.
Two men sleeping in the back of
the pickup, Donald W. Prater,
18, and Randy Cox, 18, both of
Payette, also were thrown clear.
All three survivors were taken
by ambulance to McCall
Memorial Hospital and admitted.
Cox and Prater were released
later Thursday, while Coble was
listed in good condition Monday
with multiple cuts and bruises.
The four apparently were
heading to McCall to visit
friends, Ruska said.
Ruska was assisted in his in-
vestigation by Valley County
Sheriff's Cpl. Roger Arnott,
Deputy Don Platt and Under -
sheriff Lewis Pratt.
Idaho State Police officer Mitch Ruska at the scene of the fatal accident Thursday morning
Teen-ager dies in .one car wreck
A one car accident at approximately
4:45 a.m. Thursday killed one person
and injured three others after the car
they were driving left the highway and
crashed in a pasture.
Joe L. Cruse, Payette, who was a
passenger in the cab of the blue
Datsun pickup died after being thrown
through the windshield. According to
Idaho State Police, the driver, William
Jay Coble, 18, Fruitland, apparently
fell asleep at the wheel. The four
youths were apparently on their way
to McCall from Payette.
The car left the Highway about 1
1/2 miles south of Donnelly and
traveled for about 154 feet along the
barrow pit before striking a road
embankment. According to ISP
officers, the car then catapulted into
the air for about 113 feet before
hitting a cement culvert where it
flipped over end to end and then rolled
over onto its bottom side.
Riding asleep in the back of the
pickup were Randy Cox, 18, of
Payette and Donald Wayne Prater, 18,
also of Payette. Both were admitted to
McCall Memorial Hospital with
multiple lacerations, bruises and
minor broken bones and released the
same day, according to a hospital
spokesperson.
Coble was admitted to the hospital
with multiple lacerations, bruises and
minor broken bones including a
broken clavical. He was kept for
observation in the hospital until
Tuesday when he was released,
according to a hospital spokesperson.
The accident is still under
investigation and possible charges are
pending.
771(J Idaho srnGn
Wreck kills McCall man, injures woman
MCCALL — A McCall man died
and a McCall woman was criti-
cally injured Saturday evening in
a one -car accident on Idaho 55.
Jeff Sterling Stevens, 24, died
instantly, according to witnesses
said Adams County Undersheriff
Marvin Mullen.
Rachelle Marie Jaggi, 19, was
taken to McCall and then flown by
Life Flight helicopter to St. Al-
phonsus Regional Medical Cen-
ter, where a nursing supervisor
said Sunday night she was in criti-
cal condition.
Stevens was driving east down
Goose Creek Grade about five
miles northwest of McCall when
the accident occurred at 6:41
p.m., according to Adams County
dispatcher Suzie Jones. Stevens
attempted to pass another vehicle
when one tire of his car slipped
off the pavement onto the dirt
shoulder along the road. He ap-
parently overcorrected, and the
car flipped over, Jones said.
Neither Stevens nor Jaggi was
wearing a seatbelt, and both were
thrown through the sunroof of the
car. Jaggi was thrown free but
suffered multiple injuries.
Stevens was not thrown free
and the car rolled over onto him.
3--14 rz ffe0/s 2w) e41,g3/ (7cfd-.
McCall man killed,
A McCall man was killed and a
woman passenger, also from Mc-
Call, was critically injured Saturday
in a one -car accident 1/4-mile east
of Meadows on Idaho 55.
Jeff Sterling Stevens, 24, and
Rochelle Marie Yaggi, 19, were re-
turning to McCall after an outing
in Riggins when Stevens lost con-
trol of his car while passing another
car about 6:45 p.m., Adams
County Deputy Dan Yancey said.
The car ran onto the the gravel
woman
on the roadside, Stevens overcor-
rected his steering and the car veered
into the gravel again.
Stevens again tried unsuccess-
fully to gain control of the car, but
the car rolled three times before
coming to a stop, said Yancey, who
witnessed the accident while head-
ing toward Meadows..
Both Yaggi and Stevens were
thrown from the car through an
open sun roof. Stevens was killed
instantly when the car rolled over
urt in wreck
his body, but Yaggi was thrown
clear. Neither Stevens nor Yaggi
were wearing seat belts, Yancey
said.
Adams County Undersheriff Roy
Mullen said Monday that seat belts
would have prevented Stevens death
and reduced the seriousness of
Yaggi's injuries.
Yaggi was transported to McCall
Memorial Hospital by the Meadows
Valley Ambulance Service and then
taken by Life Flight helicopter to
St. Alphonsus Regional Medical
Center in Boise. Yaggi was listed
in stable but critical condition at
St. Al's Tuesday morning.
While the accident is still under
investigation, Mullen said Monday
that excessive speed and alcohol
were contributing factors in the ac-
cident. There is no evidence that the
car which was passed by Stevens'
car contributed to the accident,
Mullen said.
" S t . c C 1 - P �� Y 1 ' 1 d I ? _ ��/ ���� i ������ i r k ��4 >
Youth dies in wreck
An Idaho County teen -ager died
early Saturday when the pickup he
was driving crashed on Idaho 55
west of McCall, Idaho State Police
said.
Yancey L. Yates, 17, of Pollock,
rolled his pickup about 6:30 a.m.
Saturday on the highway about two
miles west of McCall, an ISP news
release said.
Yates apparently ran off the right
side of the road, overcorrected his
steering, crossed the highway and
rolled into the ditch on the left side.
He was wearing no seat belt, and
was thrown from the vehicle.
The victim was dead at the scene
as the result of a broken neck, the
ISP release said. An investigation
was continuing into the accident.
S�� _rP S -2-7 F'1
4C Friday, February 23, 1990
School buses hit
in two accidents
Two school buses were rear -
ended within five minutes in sepa-
rate accidents Thursday.
At 8 a.m. bus driver Christine
White had stopped her bus on
Idaho 55 south of McCall when a
driver approaching from the rear
failed to notice the bus.
Patricia Ward, 19, of Oakley,
was seriously injured when her
car smashed into the rear of the
bus.
Ward was taken to St. Alphon-
sus ' Regional Medical Center,
where she is listed in serious con-
ditions, suffering head and facial
injuries.
White was not injured, but 22 of
the 33 children aboard the bus
received minor injuries and were
treated and released at McCall
Memorial Hospital.
Five minutes later on Cemetery
Road near Middleton, a similar
accident occurred.
Another school bus, driven by
Donna C. Ward, 57, Caldwell, had
stopped the bus to pick up a stu-
dent when a car driven by Robert
L. Waite, 18, Middleton, slammed
into the rear of the bus.
Waite received minor injuries,
and neither the bus driver nor
any children were injured.
The accidents are still under
investigation and citations are
pending, according to the Idaho
State Police.
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k i l l s B o i s e m a n
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v e h i c l e a c c i d e n t l a s t T h u r s d a y o n
I d a h o 5 5 i n D o n n e l l y .
M i c h a e l S .
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s o u t h b o u n d n e a r t h e L o n g V a l l e y
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v e e r e d o f f t h e r o a d t o t h e r i g h t , a n
I d a h o S t a t e P o l i c e r e p o r t s a i d . R i l e y
t h e n o v e r c o r r e c t e d t o t h e l e f t , r o l l i n g
t h e v e h i c l e . H e w a s p a r t i a l l y e j e c t e d
f r o m t h e p i c k - u p a n d t h e v e h i c l e c a m e
t o r e s t o n t o p o f h i m , p o l i c e s a i d .
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a l c o h o l w a s i n v o l v e d i n t h e a c c i d e n t ,
t h e r e p o r t s a i d .
Riggins man
A Riggins man was fatally in-
jured during the weekend after his
pickup truck left Idaho 55 just north
of Little Donner Summit and rolled
several times.
HAns_ Richard "Rick" Burman
37, was driving his 1986 Chevrolet
pickup truck at about 10:30 P.M.
Saturday when he apparently fell
asleep at the wheel and drove off the
highway north of Cascade, according
to Idaho State Police reports.
S
dies in wreck
Burman tried to return to
Highway 55 but over - corrected,
causing the vehicle to roll several
times, according to police reports.
As the vehicle was rolling, Burman
was ejected from the truck which
then rolled over him.
Burman died at the scene of the
accident at 11:10 p.m., according to
the police reports. Alcohol was re-
lated in the accident and no seat belt
was worn.
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t h e t a n k e r b e g a n t o r o l l f o r w a r d f o r a n
u n k n o w n r e a s o n . T h e t a n k e r c r o s s e d
t h e h i g h w a y a n d p l u n g e d d o w n t h e
r o c k y c a n y o n .
" W h e n i t w e n t o v e r , i t w e n t
` B o o m , ' j u s t l i k e i n t h e m o v i e s , " s a i d
D o n i c a , w h o a l s o i s a v o l u n t e e r f o r
t h e M c C a l l F i r e D e p a r t m e n t .
A w a l l o f f l a m e s e r u p t e d f r o m t h e
6 0 - f o o t - d e e p c a n y o n , a n d b u r n i n g f u e l
s p r e a d d o w n t h e s w i f t - f l o w i n g w a -
t e r s o f L i t t l e G o o s e C r e e k .
M c C a l l F i r e C h i e f D a l e P o i n t s s a i d
t h a t h e c a m e u p o n a r e m a r k a b l e s i g h t
w h e n h e a r r i v e d o n t h e s c e n e . " T h e
t r u c k w a s f u l l y i n v o l v e d a n d t h e r e
w a s a s o l i d s t r e a m o f f i r e d o w n t h e
c r e e k a b o u t 3 0 0 y a r d s , " P o i n t s s a i d .
" T h e o n l y t h i n g I c a n t h i n k o f b u r n i n g
m o r e i n t e n s e l y w a s a n a i r p l a n e a c c i -
d e n t . "
M c C a l l f i r e f i g h t e r s c o u l d d o l i t t l e
e x c e p t a l l o w t h e f u e l t o b u r n a n d t h u s
l i m i t t h e s p i l l o f f u e l i n t o t h e c r e e k .
T h e f l a m e s l i t s m a l l s p o t f i r e s i n b r u s h
( S e e " F i r e , " P a g e 2 )
(Continued from Page I)
along the creek, but they were e,
guished by fire- retardant foam
from fire trucks on the road above
Points said it was forturew
accident did not happen at this It-
last year, when the area was grip;:;
in drought conditions. "We'd sfill,
chasing the fire if it was last ye m
said.
Minutes after the accident, Dc
donned his uniform as an At; ;,-
County Sheriff's Department del;,-•,
his other
jo b, and was assigned':
direct traffic around the scene. S
on Idaho 55 was blocked brieW" 7i
later was allowed through in a On-r-',
-lane.
Even before hearrived on the•sln_- --
Points called on his radio fv rte°
agency that had absorbent
storage to bring them to the srtP .
Booms, pads and straw - bale,.,;,
were hurriedly bui It along severni
about 1 -1/2 miles downstrearrs-
the spill. A fire crew from dime
Meadows Ranger District of Glw�: °
ette National Forest was cadYrd.
action to help spread the padsr,`,: `,
water.
However, the fast - flowing''.,_
mixed the fuel into the creek, l5rr
ing the collection efforts. The
of fuel collected by the booms e. _..,
Star New
:. nined.
`,,fieers from the Idaho Depart -
= ~ of Fish and Game collected 133
fish below the spill, mostly na-
_. nbow trout with some brook
�, said Don Anderson, F &G's re-
°sl biologist in McCall.
any more fish likely were killed
' fuel but were not collected,
son said. Insect life in the stretch
ek below the spill was wiped
ant damage was less severe be-
':')ee creek's confluence with the
nstem of Goose Creek, Anderson
Tne fish and insects will gradually
to the creek, but effects likely
VETk be felt for some time as residual
1 on sticks and rocks washes into
`1rlcreek, Anderson said.
Long -term effects downstream are
4 MM,difficult to predict, with special
,Xrc°ern for the threatened chinook
=:,tiltDon thattravel up theLittle Salmon
Aiwer, of which Goose Creek is a
bributary, he said.
The fires from the tanker burned
mselves out early Saturday mom-
;Vg, and about 200 gallons of fuel was
,PM. Ped out before the wreckage was
'haoled up the canyon
.J(A ly ,2 .2,1993
ID 55 crash damages
sheriff's car, wrecker
A Priest River, Ore., man remained
in good condition Tuesday at St.
Luke's Regional Medical Center in
Boise following a three -car accident
early Saturday morning near Don-
nelly.
Richard Baxley, 30, was travelling
southbound on Idaho 55 about three
miles north of Donnelly when the
1984 Chevrolet pickup he was driv-
ing came around a curve and collided
with a Valley County sheriff's ve-
hicle and tow truck parked on the east
side of the roadway.
Valley County Deputy Sheriff Bill
McCarthy and tow truck driver Calvin
Himes were both treated for minor
injuries at McCall Memorial Hospital
and released.
Baxley was stabilzed at McCall
Memorial Hospital and later trans-
ported by ambulance to St. Luke's.
McCarthy was waiting for Himes
to tow a vehicle which was being
impounded from an earlier arrest of a
drunken driver when the accident oc-
curred at about 2:20 a.m., according
to a report by the Idaho State Police.
McCarthy had been called to assist
Idaho State Police Cpl. Jim Eveanson
with impoundment of the vehicle
while Eveanson transported the sus-
pect to the Valley County Jail facility
in Cascade for blood alcohol tests.
The suspect's car was not involved
in the incident.
W/P
,-5fG1, ly mvS
/a/ 793
Photo by Shari Hambleton
Two truck operators work to right cattle truck on Goose Creek grade.
Cattle truck tips on Id 55
Seventeen head of cattle took an
unexpected ride Monday morning
when the truck in which they were
riding tipped over, dumping them onto
Idaho 55 about four miles north of
McCall.
Edward F. Anthony, 35, of Vale,
Oregon, had just recently purchased .
the cattle in Donnelly, and was trans-
porting them back to Oregon when
the air brakes on his 1982 Interna-
tional cattle truck malfunctioned.
Anthony lost control of the vehicle
when he was unable to negotiate a
curve near Goose Creek Canyon, said
Idaho State Police Cpl. John Burke.
"I knew he was having trouble
when he started swerving further
back," said Mike Leedom of McCall,
who witnessed the accident.
Anthony was treated for cuts and
abrasions and released from McCall
Memorial Hospital.
None of the cattle were killed in
the incident and all but one ran into
the adjoining forest where they were
recaptured after a chase using volun-
teers, Burke said.
Pastor injured
The pastor of a McCall church
was critically injured Monday
when the van in which he was a
passenger hit a rock and rolled on
Idaho 55, Idaho State Police said.
Bjorn "Swede" Dahlin, 52, was
listed in critical condition on
Wednesday in the intensive -care
unit of St. Alphonsus Regional
Medical Center in Boise, a hospi-
tal spokesman said.
Dahlin is the pastor of the
McCall Full Gospel Christian Fel-
lowship Church in McCall.
Dahlin was injured about 6:45
in wreck
p.m. on Monday while he was
riding in a van driven by his wife,
Sherrie, 39, an ISP dispatcher said.
The van was heading north
when it struck rocks in the high-
way about two miles south of
lower Banks, the dispatcher said.
The van rolled, ejecting Bjorn
Dahlin.
The couple was taken by am-
.bulanc6 to St. Alphonsus, where
Bjorn Dahlin was admitted and
Sherrie Dahlin was treated and
released from the hospital's emer-
gency room.
15- year -old New Meadows girl,
'10- year -old New Meadows boy
killed in separate traffic accidents
GOOSE CREEK — A 10- year -old boy from
Meadows Valley was struck and killed by a car here
last Friday afternoon, the third tragic death to hit
the New Meadows area in the past two weeks.
Christopher M. Dreyer was struck down by an
automobile while crossing Idaho Highway 55 in
front of the Goose Creek Saloon, according to Cpl.
Jim Eavenson of the Idaho State Police.
Last Wednesday afternoon, a heatpn collision
on Idaho 55 in old Meadows took the life of 15-
year -old Sharma L. Barnett, who would have been
a junior at Meadows Valley High School this fall.
Dreyer, according to a witness, was standing at
about 3:20 p.m. with his dog alongside the highway
preparing to cross, Eavenson said. The witness also
said Dreyer looked both ways before stepping out
into the highway with his dog.
He was struck by a black 1984 Volkswagen
Scirocco driven by Frank Michael D'Amato, of San
Francisco, Calif.
Eavenson said the dark color of the car may have
been a contributing factor in Dreyer not seeing the
CHRISTOPHER MARSHAL
DREYER
Christopher Marshal Dreyer,
10, of New Meadows, who died
as a result of an auto - pedestrian
accident July 15, 1994, in Old
Meadows was conducted Tuesday,
July 19, 1994 at the Meadows
Valley Cemetery under the direc-
tion of the Heikkila Funeral Chapel,
McCall.
on- coining vehicle.
There will be no charges filed in that accident.
On Wednesday, Barnett, who was north -bound
toward New Meadows in a 1986 Chevrolet Sprint,
collided head -on with a south -bound 1988 Buick
LeSabre driven by Claude Hart, 81, of Fruitland.
The accident took place at about 3:45 p.m.
Barnett, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, was eject-
ed from her vehicle. She was transported to McCall
Memorial Hospital, and then by Life Flight heli-
copter to Boise, where she was pronounced dead,
Eavenson said.
The accident took place on a curve in Meadows
in front of Swift Logging. According to Eavenson's
report, Hart's vehicle crossed the centerline and col-
lided with Barnett's vehicle.
He said that accident is still under investigation.
Hart, who was wearing a seatbelt, was treated
and held for observation at McCall Memorial Hospital.
The two traffic deaths follow by about a week
the death of New Meadows Smokejumper Jim Thrash,
who died while fighting a forest fire in Colorado.
Chris was born in Salisburg,
N. Carolina on October 1, 1983,
living there until he was three when
he moved to New Meadows with
his family. Chris attended school
in New Meadows where he would
have been in the 5th grade. He was
a cub scout and played baseball
and basketball. He loved any out-
door activity. His brother taught
him how to ride a motorcycle this
year. Little kids, who he loved,
had a special attraction for Chris.
He is survived by his parents
Rick & Penny of New Meadows,
a brother, Nathan of New Meadows;
his grandparents Mr. & Mrs.
Richard Myers of Salisburg, N.C.;
Mr. & Mrs. Marshal Dreyer,
Kamiah; Lois Sanford of New
Meadows; grandpa Brownie Carr
of New Meadows and Corky
Sanford of Stites, Idaho; great
grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Roy G.
Myers of Salisburg; Ida W. Cooper
of Salisburg and Maudy Pattan of
Kamiah; his aunts and uncles,
Teresa Harris of New Meadows,
Kenneth Myers, Salisburg; Lori
Barnett of New Meadows; Ellen
Anderson of New Meadows; Jolene
Carr of New Meadows; Marty &
Terry Sanford of Stites and Brenda
Bashaw of Kamiah; numerous
cousins. He was preceded in death
by an Uncle Jerry Dreyer.
SHANNA LYNN BARNETT
Shanna Lynn Bamett, 15, New
Meadows, died Wed. July 13,1994
in a Boise hospital as the result of
injuries received in an automobile
accident on Wednesday. Funeral
services were conducted on Sat.
July. 16, 1994 at the Meadows
Valley High School. Services were
under direction of Heikkila Funeral
Chapel, McCall.
Sharma was born Aug. 14,
1978 in McCall and was reared
and attended schools in New
Meadows. She would have been
going into her Junior year in the
fall. She loved all sports, espe-
cially basketball. She received a
three sport medalion for lettering
in volleyball, basketball and track
during her freshmen year in var-
sity sports. She was an honor stu-
dent, member of the German Club,
Band and Pep Club. She also loved
horseback riding and all animals.
Her projects in 4 -H had been pigs,
heifers, 2 steers and this year was
a cow and calf. She always had a
big smile for everyone and was a
cheerful and happy person who
loved almost everyone. Her hero
was Micheal Jordan and her motto
was "Somewhere someone is prac-
ticing and when you meet in head
to head competition he will beat
you ",
Surviving are her parents,
Clifford and Debbie Balbach
Barnett, New Meadows; a broth-
er, Dennis, New Meadows; grand-
parents, Joyce and Raymond
Barnett, Clarkston, Wash; Lois
and Robert Balbach, New
Meadows; great grandmother,
Christine Stephens, New Meadows;
numerous aunts, uncles, cousins,
and great aunts and uncles.
Memorials may be made to
the Mountaineer Booster Club
Athletic Fund.
21,/ 4 ly
Baths of two
M. youths
ocks town
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
The deaths of two youths last week
in separate traffic accidents stunned
the people of New Meadows, who are
still recovering from the death of
smokejumper Jim Thrash.
Shanna Barnett,15, was killed July
13 in a head -on collision on Idaho 55
near Old Meadows. Two days later,
on Friday afternoon, Barnett's cousin,
Christopher M. Dreyer, 10, was killed
after being hit by a car on Idaho 55
just one mile away from the site of the
Barnett accident.
Both deaths came just a week after
news about the death of Thrash, who
perished with 13 other firefighters
during a wildfire in Colorado.
"It's left everybody real shook up
with the deaths of all three of them,"
New Meadows Mayor Bill Freeman
said. "The whole community is really
grieving and really broken up."
Barnett was thrown from her ve-
hicle after it crashed about 3:45 p.m.
into a car driven by Claude Hart, 81,
of Fruitland. Police believe Barnett
was not wearing her seat belt.
According to Cpl. Jim Eavenson
of the Idaho State Police, Hart was
traveling northbound when his 1988
Buick LeSabre went onto the right
hand shoulder of the road. He over-
corrected, veering into the southbound
lane and colliding with Barnett's
Chevrolet Sprint.
The Sprint flipped and came to a
stop upside down on the left shoulder.
Barnett was taken by ambulance to
McCall Memorial Hospital and trans-
ferred by Life Flight helicopter to St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
in Boise, but efforts to revive her were
unsuccessful.
Hart remained trapped inside his
vehicle while emergency teams from
New Meadows and McCall worked
for approximately 30 minutes to free
him.
He was taken by McCall Ambu-
lance Service to McCall Memorial
Hospital, where he was treated for
multiple bruises, lacerations and a
Shanna
Barnett
15- year -old
died in a head -
on collision on
Idaho 55
Christopher
Dreyer
10- year -old
ran in front of
oncoming car
on Idaho 55
fractured ankle. He was held over-
night for observations and then
released.
Hart was wearing his seat belt at
the time of the accident. Eavenson
said there has been no citations :is-
sued, but the accident is still under
investigation.
Dreyer was fatally injured at ap-
proximately 3 p.m. Friday when he
ran out in front of a car driven by
Frank Damato, 26, of San Francisco,
Calif.
Dreyer was on the side of the road
and darted out in front of Damato's
vehicle when it was about 10 to 15
feet away, leaving Damato no time to
react, an ISP report said.
Dreyer suffered severe head inju-
ries in the accident. He was flown by
Life Flight to St. Alphonsus, where he
was pronounced dead later that
evening. No citations were issued in
the accident.
��S I a ) N C ��) p i ' s - 1 ��0 ��u s 7 ; _ 5 1 l l ? 1 `
M a n
t h a t
l e a d s g u i l t y i n w r e c k
p "
i n u r e d 3 o n I d a h o 5 5
A N a m p a m a n c h a r g e d w i t h d r i v -
i n g u n d e r t h e i n f l u e n c e o f a l c o h o l
p l e a d e d g u i l t y l a s t T h u r s d a y t o r e a r -
e n d i n g a t o w t r u c k o n I d a h o 5 5 a n d
d a m a g i n g a V a l l e y C o u n t y s h e r i f f
v e h i c l e i n t h e s a m e i n c i d e n t .
R i c h a r d B a x l e y , 3 1 , h a d b e e n
d r i n k i n g i n M c C a l l b e f o r e t h e a c c i -
d e n t , w h i c h o c c u r r e d O c t . 9 a t 2 : 2 0
a . m . o n I d a h o 5 5 n o r t h o f D o n n e l l y ,
V a l l e y C o u n t y D e p u t y p r o s e c u t i n g
A t t o r n e y J o n a t h a n M c C r o n e s a i d .
B a x l e y w a s f i n e d $ 1 , 0 0 0 w i t h $ 4 0 0
s u s p e n d e d , o r d e r e d t o s e r v e 3 0 d a y s
i n f a i l w i t h 2 7 d a y s s u s p e n d e d a n d
r e c e i v e d a 1 5 0 - d a y d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e
s u s p e n s i o n f o r t h e m i s d e m e a n o r
c h a r g e .
B a x l e y ' s 3 / 4 - t o n C h e v r o l e t p i c k u p
w a s t r a v e l i n g a t a b o u t 7 3 m i l e s p e r
h o u r w h e n i t s t r u c k t h e r e a r o f a t o w
t r u c k d r i v e n b y C a l v i n H i m e s . B a x l e y ,
h i s p a s s e n g e r B o b b y B a x l e y a n d
H i m e s r e c e i v e d s e r i o u s i n j u r i e s i n t h e
i n c i d e n t , M c C r o n e s a i d .
A s h e r i f f ' s v e h i c l e , a 1 9 9 4 F o r d
B r o n c o , w a s a l s o d a m a g e d i n t h e i n c i -
d e n t .
T h e w r e c k e r , o w n e d b y A c h e s o n
M o t o r s o f M c C a l l , h a d b e e n d i s -
p a t c h e d t o t h e I d a h o 5 5 l o c a t i o n t o
t o w a v e h i c l e a f t e r t h e d r i v e r h a d b e e n
a r r e s t e d f o r d r i v i r . . 9 u n d e r t h e i n f l u -
e n c e , M c C r o n e s a i d .
Man pleads
guilty in
auto death
A Fruitland man pleaded guilty
on Tuesday to a felony charge of
vehicular manslaughter in connec-
tion with a July accident that killed
a 15 -year -old Meadows Valley girl.
Claude Hart, 81, entered his plea
before Third District Court Judge
Wayne P. Fuller at the Adams
County Courthouse in Council.
Fuller set sentencing for Oct. 31.
Hart was charged in the July 13
death of Shanna Barnett, 15, in a
head -on collision on Idaho 55 near
Old Meadows.
According to Idaho State Police,
Dart was traveling northbound when
his car went onto the right shoulder
of the road. He overcorrected, veer-
ing into the southbound lane, collid-
ing with Barnett's car.
Barnett's car flipped and came to
a stop upside down on the left shoul-
der. She was taken by ambulance to
McCall Memorial Hospital and
transferred by Life Fight helicopter
to a Boise hospital, but efforts to
revive her were unsuccessful. Hart
suffered minor injuries.
The accident came two days be-
fore Barnett's cousin, Christopher
M. Dreyer, 10, was killed after be-
ing hit by a car while walking along
Idaho 55 about a mile from where
Barnett was killed.
Lahq Vail y 4dyocq 11 ;/Y
Nampa man hauling
fire supplies killed in
Idaho 55 accident
CASCADE — A Nampa man involved in the local fire-
fighting effort died Saturday while driving a supply truck for
the National Interagency Fire Center of Boise.
Robert L. Johnson, 53, died as a result of injuries he suffered
on Sept. 15 when a semi truck's trailer became uncoupled, tipped
over, and slammed into the supply truck he was driving. The
accident took place on Idaho Highway 55 about 15 miles south
of Cascade.
According to Idaho State Police, 33 year -old David Headrick
of West Linn, OR., was going too fast for a curve, causing the
trailer of his rig to become unhitched.
An ISP dispatcher said that Swift Transportation, a trucking
company that transports logs, owned the semi - tractor trailer
Headrick was driving.
Originally, Headrick, who was uninjured, was charged with
inattentive driving. However, only four miles from where the
accident occurred, ISP reported that Headrick again lost con-
trol of his rig later that day when he was going too fast for a
curve, causing the rest of the truck to go off the road.
According to the Valley County Court Clerk's Office, Headrick
was issued a citation for inattentive driving.
Johnson began working for NIFC on Aug. 3, where he was
employed as a supply truck driver. Les Rosenkrance, assistant
director for the Bureau of Land Management, said Johnson had
driven almost 19,000 miles delivering supplies and equipment
to federal firefighters in seven Western states since he began
work.
"Mr. Johnson was a key part of that vital lifeline to the fire -
line that ensures firefighters receive the supplies and equipment
they need to suppress the fires," Rosenkrance said in a prepared
statement.
��- L o n q ) G I ��P y C r ��a ' d G a 7 c ��
/ D / / 2 ` ��
L o u i s i a n a m a n s t i l l c r i t i c a l f o l l o w i n g f u e l t r u c k c r a s h
C a s c a d e r u r a l f i r e m e n d i s c u s s o p t i o n s a t s i t e o f l a s t w e e k ' s f u e l s p i l l .
C A S C A D E A f u e l t r u c k t r a v e l i n g o n I d a h o
5 5 j u s t s o u t h o f C a s c a d e r o l l e d o v e r , c r i t i c a l l y i n j u r -
i n g t h e d r i v e r a n d s p i l l i n g s e v e r a l h u n d r e d g a l l o n s
o f j e t f u e l W e d n e s d a y e v e n i n g .
T h e a c c i d e n t b r o u g h t a b o u t t h e c l o s u r e o f t h e
h i g h w a y f o r a b o u t t h r e e a n d a h a l f h o u r s .
A c c o r d i n g t o a n I d a h o S t a t e P o l i c e d i s p a t c h e r ,
R o b e r t L . B e t t s , 4 1 , o f D e r i d e r , L a . , w a s s o u t h b o u n d
o n I d a h o 5 5 w h e n t h e f u e l t r u c k h e w a s d r i v i n g w e n t
o f f t h e r i g h t s i d e o f t h e r o a d . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e I S P
r e p o r t o f t h e s i n g l e v e h i c l e a c c i d e n t , B e t t s o v e r c o r -
r e c t e d , c a u s i n g t h e t r u c k t o r o l l o n e a n d a h a l f t i m e s .
T h e t r u c k c a m e t o r e s t o n i t s s i d e i n t h e s o u t h - b o u n d
d i t c h .
B e t t s w a s e j e c t e d f r o m t h e v e h i c l e , a n d s u f f e r e d
h e a d i n j u r i e s , i n t e r n a l b l e e d i n g a n d a b r o k e n p e l v i s .
H e w a s f l o w n b y a L i f e F l i g h t a i r p l a n e t o S t . A l p h o n s u s
R e g i o n a l M e d i c a l C e n t e r i n B o i s e , a n d w a s r e p o r t -
e d t o b e i n c r i t i c a l c o n d i t o n a s o f F r i d a y .
T h e t r u c k w a s c a r r y i n g a b o u t 7 7 5 g a l l o n s o f a v i -
a t i o n j e t f u e l f o r E P A H e l i c o p t e r s o f L o u i s i a n a w h e n
i t r o l l e d , a c c o r d i n g t o o f f i c i a l s . S l i g h t l y l e s s t h a n
h a l f o f t h e f u e l i n t h e v e h i c l e s p i l l e d a n d s o a k e d i n t o
t h e w e l l - d r a i n e d s o i l i n t h e d i t c h .
H o w e v e r , I S P r e p o r t e d t h a t 3 7 5 g a l l o n s w e r e
r e c o v e r e d a n d p u m p e d o u t o f t h e w r e c k e d t a n k e r
t r u c k i n t o a n o t h e r t r u c k , w i t h t h e r e m a i n i n g f u e l
s o a k i n g i n t o t h e g r o u n d .
J e t f u e l i s s i m i l a r t o k e r o s e n e , a n d a s s u c h w a s n ' t
v e r y f l a m m a b l e u n d e r t h e c o o l c o n d i t i o n s t h a t e x i s t -
e d a t t h e t i m e o f t h e a c c i d e n t . H o w e v e r , f o r s a f e t y
r e a s o n s , t r a f f i c f r o m b o t h d i r e c t i o n s w a s h e l d u p
u n t i l t h e t r u c k w a s r i g h t e d a n d m o v e d .
T h e r e w a s n o f i r e a s a r e s u l t o f t h e a c c i d e n t .
A c c o r d i n g t o V a l l e y C o u n t y S h e r i f f L e w i s P r a t t ,
c l e a n u p o f t h e s i t e w a s t u r n e d o v e r t o t h e s t a t e . T h e
I d a h o D e p a r t m e n t o f T r a n s p o r t a t i o n a n d D e p t . o f
E n v i r o n m e n t a l Q u a l i t y w e r e n o t i f i e d o f t h e a c c i d e n t
a n d v i s i t e d t h e s c e n e o f t h e a c c i d e n t .
T h e a c c i d e n t , w h i c h o c c u r r e d a t 6 : 4 1 p . m . a t m i l e -
p o s t 1 0 6 , c a u s e d t r a f f i c h e a d i n g b o t h n o r t h a n d s o u t h -
b o u n d t o b e d e l a y e d f o r a b o u t t h r e e a n d a h a l f h o u r s ,
c a u s i n g s o m e m o t o r i s t s t o f i n d a l t e r n a t i v e r o u t e s
a r o u n d t h e a c c i d e n t . M o t o r i s t s w e r e e v e n t u a l l y r e -
r o u t e d t o t h e e a s t b y H e r r i c k R e s e r v o i r b y a p i l o t
c a r .
McCall man dies in Idaho 55 crash
A McCall man died Monday night when the pickup he was driving
on Idaho 55 near Smiths Ferry struck an elk, causing him to lose con-
trol of the vehicle and drive off into the Payette River.
Kelly Brian Dye, 5l, of McCall died at the scene of the accident,
two miles south of Smitbs.Ferry at milepost 94.9. His wife, Joan Dye,
50, a passenger in the vehiae, suffered a compressed fracture of the
back and was taken to Valley County Hospital, where she was listed
in stable condition Tuesday morning.
According to Idaho State Police, Dye and his wife were northbound
on Idaho 55 at approximately 9:40 p.m. when the 1969 GMC pickup
they were driving struck an elk, causing Dye to lose control of the car.
ISP reported that only the driver was wearing a seatbelt when the
accident occurred, and that no alcohol was involved.
l,oh� ��Iley f7�l�vcdy-c:
GGt f3,��199
Crunchola!
An arrest on an unrelated drunk driving charge in a round -about way contributed to a col-
lision on Idaho Highway 55 several miles north of Donnelly early Sunday morning that
sent a Priest River, Idaho, man to the hospital and blocked traffic on the highway for sev-
eral hours. According to the Idaho State Patrol report of the incident Valley County Sheriff's
Deputy William McCarthy was assisting in an arrest and impoundment of vehicle when a
McCall tow truck from Acheson Motors, called to the scene to tow the impounded vehi-
cle, was slammed into by a four -wheel drive pickup driven by Richard K. Baxley, of Priest
River. The accident took place at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Baxley was transported to St.
Luke's Hospital at Boise in stable condition following treatment at McCall Memorial Hospital.
Calvin L. Himes, the truck driver was treated and released at the McCall hospital.
tanker crash spills '
Idaho 55 p l et fuel
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star-News
A tanker truck rolled over on Idaho 55 one
mile south of Clear Creek last week, injuring the
driver and spilling approximately 400 gallons of
jet fuel.
The wreck caused police to halt traffic on
Idaho 55 in each direction for about three hours.
The driver, Robert Betts, 41, of Deridder, La.,
was taken by ambulance to Valley County Dis-
trict Hospital in Cascade and then flown to St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise,
where he was treated for a fractured skull, broken
pelvis and internal bleeding. He was listed in fair
condition on Tuesday.
According to police reports, Betts was travel-
ing southbound on Idaho 55 about 6 p.m. on Oct.
12 when he went off {the right side of the road, then
overcorrected when he came back onto the road.
The truck rolled one and a half times, and Betts
was ejected. The tanker came to rest on its side on
the right shoulder.
Don Lee and Steve Rae, two employees of the
state Division of Environmental Quality, discov-
ered the accident and notified emergency medical
teams of the accident and the spill of jet fuel.
The spill cleanup was coordinated by ERA
Aviation of Anchorage, Alaska, the owner of the
tanker, according to Bruce Schuld of the DEQ.
The fuel posed no immediate health or environ-
mental threats, Schuld said.
"Generally speaking, we don't get too excited
unless its near drinking water or fish habitat,"
Schuld said.
Schuld said the area the fuel spilled was exca-
vated and hauled away to a hazardous material
dump. The soil will be replaced and the site and
replanted.
Schuld commended the way the Valley County
emergency crews handled the accident.
"They really had their heads together," Schuld
said. "This whole thing went so smooth and se
clockwork it was incredible."
Photo by Roger Phillips
Fire crews work to transfer jet fuel from overturned tanker.
/vleegll 1 dr Ivew5
McCall man dies in
car
crash near Smiths Ferry
A McCall man died Monday night
in a one -car accident on Idaho 55 two
miles south of Smiths Ferry,
lance to Valley County District Hos-
pital where she was listed in stable
Idaho
State Police reported.
condition on Tuesday.
Killed in the accident was Kelly B.
Dye, 51. He was pronounced dead
According to police reports, Kelly
Dye was wearing his seat belt, while
at
the scene.
his wife was not.
Dye's 1969 GMC pickup struck
an elk about 9:40 p.m. Monday,
Dye was a transportation engineer
for the Payette National Forest who
went
out of control, then overturned into
the North Fork of the Payette River,
worked out of the forest supervisor's
office in McCall.
according to Idaho State Patrol re-
ports.
His family asks memorials be sent
to the Payette Lake Trails Committe,
Dye's wife, Joan, 50, was also in
the vehicle. She was taken by
Box AO, McCall, ID 83638, or to
Alcoholics Anonymous, Box 357,
ambu-
McCall, ID 83638.
Cyclist hurt
when hit by
van on ID 55
A McCall man was injured last
week when the bicycle he was riding
veered in front of a passing van on
Idaho 55 near Warren Wagon Road,
according to police reports.
Regan C. Hammell, 42, of McCall
was treated at McCall Memorial Hos-
pital and released after being struck
by a vehicle at about 5 p.m. on May
17.
The van's driver, Alice L.
Wheelock, 43, of New Meadows, said
she was westbound on Idaho 55 when
Hammel's bicycle turned abruptly in
front of her vehicle.
Witness statements from drivers
of vehicles traveling behind and in
front of Wheelock also said Hammell
unexpectedly turned in front of the
van. The impact threw Hammell about
20 feet across the highway, reports
said.
No citations were issued. The inci-
dent is still under investigation, ac-
cording to McCall Police.
:71 1, - /,,i'd 4 C, c�a�PSlltcirt
Woman injured after rock
strikes car on Idaho 55
A Grangeville woman was se-
riously injured on Idaho 55 Sun-
day after a boulder crashed into
the roof of her car.
Kathie Schoo, 51, was travel-
ing north on Idaho 55 ner
Banks when the boulder hit t e
driver's side of her Chevy Luni-
na, knocking her into the pas-
senger, according to an Idano
State Police dispatcher.
The passenger was uninjured,
but Schoo was taken by Lif�-
Flight helicopter to St. Alphon-
sus Regional Medical Center,
where she was in critical condi-
tion with head and facial inju-
ries late Sunday night.
The incident occurred at 2:45
p.m.
Stcu2 News a�a- 9/ /9 q(,
Driver cited in ID 55
wreck that injured 7
The driver of a vehicle that swerved
into oncoming traffic and collided
head -on with a car on Idaho 55 on
Feb. 17 has been cited for following
too closely, Idaho State Police said.
Kenneth Crogh, 38, of New Mead-
ows, was issued the citation follow-
ing an accident that sent seven people
to the hospital and closed traffic for an
hour on Idaho 55 west of McCall.
Crogh was driving a 1970 Jeep
southbound on Idaho 55 near the in-
tersection of Bear Basin Road when
he swerved into the other lane to avoid
a vehicle that slowed down in front of
him to make a left turn, an Idaho State
Police report said.
Crogh swerved into the path of a
northbound Chevrolet Suburban
driven by James King,46, of Hailey.
The two vehicles hit head -on.
Seven people were transported to
McCall Memorial Hospital, and one
passenger, Susan King, ofHailey, was
taken by Life Flight helicopter to St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
in Boise, where she was treated for a
fractured jaw. King has since been
released.
The other passengers and drivers
were all treated for minor injuries at
McCall Memorial Hospital and were
later released.
Head -on collision injures 5
on Idaho 55 near Banks
BANKS — Five people were
injured Sunday in a head -on col-
lision along Idaho 55 l}gar
Banks.
Idaho State Police officials
say Frederick Ringel of Cascade
was traveling southbound Rt a
high rate of speed, trying to pass
another car when he slammed
into a northbound car driven. by
Darren Rupinski of Lewiston,
Rupinski, swerved into the
guardrail, in an unsuccessful at-
tempt to avoid Ringel's vehicle.
The drivers and their passen-
gers were transported to St,, ,Al)-
phonsus Regional Medical Cen-
ter in Boise. Rupinski wag
transported by LifeFlight heli-
copter to St. Al's with chest
wounds and was listed in serious
condition.
His passengers, Matthew Ste-
phenson and Donald Simpson,
were treated and released. Both
Stephenson and Simpson were
wearing seatbelts. It's unknown
whether Rupinski was belted,*
Ringel, meanwhile, was in fair
condition Sunday night. His pas-
senger, Clinton Ringel of Cas-
cade, also was listed in fair con-
dition. The Ringels weren't
wearing seat belts, Idaho State
Police said.
S1d,tcs)7rah MaN-ch 1,t, lg46
v //x /isc,
Auto- wreck kills
Smiths Ferry teen
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
A pick -up that plunged into the
North Fork of the Payette River two
miles north of Smiths Ferry on Idaho
55 killed a Cascade High School stu-
dent and sent four others to the hospital
last Friday.
Michelle Diane Larsen, 17, of
Smiths Ferry, was found dead in five
feet of water in the North Fork after an
exhaustive two -day search by more
than 10 county and state agencies,
Valley County Sheriff Lewis Pratt
said.
Five search dogs from Boise and
Ontario, Ore., and four members of
the McCall Fire Protection District
Dive Team found Larsen's body at
5:58 p.m. on Sunday, about one mile
downstream from the accident site,
Idaho State Police said.
Larsen was thrown into the turbu-
lent water at about 11:30 p.m. on
Friday after the pick -up in which she
was riding went off the road and into
the river, police said.
She was one of four passengers in
the pick -up driven by William D.
Daugherty, 24, of Smiths Ferry.
Daugherty told police the car was
southbound when it ran off the road
and into the river in an attempt to
avoid hitting another car, a report
said.
Daugherty and his passengers,
Frederick Ringle, 20, of Cascade; Cara
Cantrell, 14, of Smiths Ferry; and
Melissa Cantrell, 16, of Cascade, were
all transported by private vehicle to
Cascade Medical Center, where they
were all treated and released.
No cause of death for Larsen has
been released. The accident remains
under investigation by Idaho State
Police.
During the two -day search for
Larsen, more than 50 volunteers and
county and state officials worked al-
most around- the -clock in an effort to
find the girl's body, Pratt said.
A key in finding Larsen's body
came from the U.S. Bureau of Recla-
mation, Pratt said.
At about 3 a.m. on Saturday, the
Bureau approved the dam at Cascade
Reservoir to drastically cut the amount
of water being released into the river
when it was deemed Larsen's body
would not be found immediately; Pratt
said.
By 3 p.m. on Saturday, the river
was lowered to a flow of 200 cubic
feet of water per second, compared to
2,300 cfs before the dam cut the flow,
Pratt said.
Two Idaho Search and Rescue
groups from Boise and Ontario, Ore.,
and the McCall dive team helped in
the search.
McCall dive team member Ken
Patterson said he and three others,
Doug Woods, Kelly Clark and Brock
Leavitt, spent 16 hours searching on
Saturday and three hours searching
on Sunday before they retrieved the
body early Sunday evening.
Several het boats, rafts and nets
were donated by local groups and
citizens to help in the search, Pratt
said.
Almost one dozen agencies, in-
cluding the Forest Service and the
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
aided in the search.
The pick -up involved in the acci-
dent was retrieved from 12 feet of
water in the North Fork, Pratt said.
Idaho 55 was closed and traffic was
delayed for periods of 15 to 20 min-
utes during the two -day search, Pratt
said.
A memorial service for Larsen was
held Wednesday afternoon at the Cas-
cade High School gym.
Man bound over
A Smiths Ferry man charged with
the April 12 vehicular manslaughter
of a Cascade High School student was
bound over for trial by Valley County
Magistrate Darla Williamson on Mon-
day.
William D. Daugherty, Jr., 23 will
be arraigned before Fourth District
Judge George Carey on June 28 at 10
a.m. at the Valley County Courthouse
in Cascade.
Williamson said Daugherty
showed gross negligence when he
crashed his pickup into the North Fork
of the Payette River about two miles
north of Smiths Ferry nearly two
months ago.
6) /(�q / / q t?6
in girls death
Michelle Larsen, 17, of Smiths
Ferry was one of four passengers in
that pick -up. Daugherty and the oth-
ers escaped, but Larsen drowned in
the turbulent water. Authorities found
her body two days later.
In the original criminal complaint,
Daugherty was charged with causing
Larsen's death by driving under the
influence of alcohol and drugs. How-
ever, Williamson ruled there was in-
sufficient evidence for that charge.
' Instgad, Williamson bound
Daugherty over for trial, ruling that
Daugherty was negligent for operat-
ing his truck "at an excessive speed
and driving off the roadway."
61 9/�6
Man killed by log truck load
MCCALL — An unidentified man was
killed here Tuesday afternoon when a load of
logs spilled off a turning log truck onto the
pickup the ill -fated man was driving.
The accident took place at about 2:15 p.m.
when the north -bound log truck made the right -
hand turn off of Lake Street onto Third Street.
The full load of logs spilled onto the cab of a
south -bound black Ford four -wheel drive pick-
up that was towing a boat.
The driver of the G. Ikola Logging truck
was transported to the McCall Memorial Hospital
about one -half hour alter the accident suffer-
ing from a possible heart attack. The identity
of the dead man was being withheld pending
notification of kin, and that of the log truck
driver was not available prior to press -time
Tuesday.
Also destroyed in the accident was a parked
Jeep Cherokee that was parked in front of the
former site of McCall Tire and Auto.
McCall Police Chief Ed Parker, who was
also the first officer responding to the scene,
Said that an Idaho State Police accident recon-
structionist was being brought in to assist in
the investigation, and a state truck safety inspec-
tor was also being brought in.
No further details were available prior to
press -time. The intersection, which is on Idaho
Highway 55, was blocked for at least two hours
after the accident, and authorities expected it
would be until 4:45 at the soonest that one lane
of traffic through the accident site would be
opened.
Traffic was detoured through several McCall
side streets.
Authorities believe mechanical failure
responsible for McCall fatal accident
MCCALL — Metal fatigue that
led to the breaking of a log truck
trailer tongue is believed to be the
cause of last Tuesday's downtown
McCall traffic accident that took
the life of Arthur Wiley, 46, of
McCall.
Idaho State Police Cpl. Mitch
Ruska said Tuesday that no cita-
tions will be issued in the accident,
but that it did appear that faulty
equipment was to blame for the acci-
dent, in which a load of logs tipped
onto a pickup truck driven by Wiley.
Wiley was pronounced dead at the
scene of the accident.
The truck is owned by Ikola
Logging Inc., of McCall, and was
driven by Leonard Wallace, 55, of
New Meadows.
Ruska said it is unknown why
the tongue connecting the front and
rear halves of the trailer broke when
it did as Wallace was not speeding
as he turned the corner, southbound,
at the intersection of Third and Lake
Streets.
"It's unknown why it broke there
(at that intersection)," Ruska said.
"More than anything, it was wear
and tear."
Also destroyed in the accident
was a 1986 Jeep Wagoneer parked
along Third Street in front of the old
McCall Tire and Auto business.
Carrie McMahan, 39, and her daugh-
ter Antonia, 12, were sitting in the
vehicle at the time of the accident
but weren't injured as the logs crushed
the back left corner of that vehicle.
Wallace was transported to
McCall Memorial Hospitai about a
half -hour after the accident, and
�,2
treated for shock and released.
Ruska said Wallace hadn't even
realized that his load of logs had
tipped until his vehicle ground to a
halt.
A funeral service and memorial
service were held Monday for Wiley,
who was working this summer as a
marine deputy for the Valley County
Sheriff s Department.
As part of the memorial service,
a wreath was laid on the waters of
Payette Lake by other marine
deputies.
��
S h e r i f f s c a r c r a s h e s
d u r i n g c h a s e
B Y J E A N N E S E O L
T h e S t a r - N e w s
A V a l l e y C o u n t y S h e r i f f ' s D e p a r t m e n t
d e p u t y w a s t r e a t e d f o r b r u i s e s a t M c C a l l
M e m o r i a l H o s p i t a l M o n d a y a f t e r h e r o l l e d
h i s p a t r o l c a r i n a h i g h s p e e d c h a s e n e a r L a k e
F o r k .
D e n n i s P o r t e r , 5 0 , o f M c C a l l , w a s t r e a t e d
a n d r e l e a s e d f o r m i n o r i n j u r i e s a f t e r h i s
1 9 9 6 F o r d E x p l o r e r s q u a d c a r r o l l e d t w o a n d
o n e - h a l f t i m e s a n d c a m e t o r e s t o f f W e s t
L a k e F o r k R o a d s o u t h o f M c C a l l . T h e p a t r o l
c a r w a s d e c l a r e d a t o t a l l o s s .
P o r t e r h a d b e g u n t o p u r s u e a n o t h e r v e -
h i c l e o n I d a h o 5 5 a n d o n t o W e s t L a k e F o r k
R o a d a f t e r w i t n e s s e s r e p o r t e d t o V a l l e y
C o u n t y d i s p a t c h t h a t t h e o t h e r v e h i c l e w a s
" a l l o v e r t h e r o a d , " a r e p o r t s a i d .
P u r s u e d b y P o r t e r , t h e v e h i c l e , d r i v e n b y
R o b e r t E a r l M c B r i d e , 5 5 , o f M c C a l l , h a d
s t o p p e d a t a s t o p s i g n a t t h e i n t e r s e c t i o n o f
W e s t L a k e F o r k R o a d a n d N i s s u l a R o a d ,
I d a h o S t a t e P o l i c e s a i d .
P o r t e r w a s u n a b l e t o s e e t h a t t h e v e h i c l e
h a d s t o p p e d a t t h e s t o p s i g n , l o c a t e d o n t h e
c r e s t o f a h i l l , a n d s w e r v e d t o t h e . l e f t t o
a v o i d h i t t i n g M c B r i d e ' s v e h i c l e , a r e p o r t
s a i d .
P o r t e r ' s s q u a d c a r r o l l e d a n d c a m e t o r e s t
o n t h e d r i v e r ' s s i d e . P o r t e r w a s a b l e t o c r a w l
o u t t h e p a s s e n g e r s i d e o f t h e E x p l o r e r , p o -
l i c e s a i d .
M c B r i d e w a s c h a r g e d w i t h f e l o n y c o u n t s
o f e l u d i n g a n o f f i c e r , d r i v i n g u n d e r t h e i n -
f l u e n c e o f a l c o h o l a n d d r i v i n g w i t h o u t
p r i v i l e g e s . H e w a s n o t i n j u r e d . T h e i n c i d e n t
i s u n d e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n b y t h e I d a h o S t a t e
P o l i c e s i n c e a V a l l e y C o u n t y s h e r i f f ' s v e -
h i c l e w a s i n v o l v e d i n t h e i n c i d e n t .
s t a r - N e w s r n o t o o y t s o n e n e s w n i e r
V a l l e y C o u n t y S h e r i f f s p a t r o l c a r r o l l e d o f f t h e r o a d t r y i n g t o a v o i d s t o p p e d c a r , s h o w A a t r e a r .
Smiths Ferry man pleads
innocent in traffic death
CASCADE — A Smiths Ferry
man charged with vehicular
manslaughter in the death of a
Cascade teen -ager has pleaded
innocent.
A trial for William D. Daugh-
erty, 24, was set for Dec. 16. He
was driving his pickup on Idaho
55 south of Smiths Ferry with
four passengers on April 12. He
apparently swerved to miss an
on- coming vehicle and drove off
the road into the Payette River.
Daugherty and three passen-
gers safely made it to shore, but
Cascade High School student
Michelle Larson drowned. Her
body was found a half -mile
downstream from the accident.
7-`I _977- 1le-y s - 8/, -1 //9z
Boise man hurt in wreck;
Idaho 55 blocked for hours
A Boise man was listed in critical
condition in a Boise hospital Tuesday
after the pickup he was driving col-
lided with another vehicle four miles
north of Smiths Ferry on Idaho 55 last
Friday.
Alton A. Moore, 46, was
southbound in a reported stolen ve-
hicle at about 6:12 p.m. when he went
off the right side of the road, overcor-
rected to the left and then ran side-
ways into a northbound 1996 Ford
pickup and horse trailer, Valley
County Sheriff's Dep. Joe Conrad
said.
The names of the driver and three
passengers in the northbound vehicle
were not available, but none of the
vehicle's occupants were injured,
Conrad said. All were wearing
seatbelts.
Alton was not wearing a seatbelt.
He was transported by Life Flight
helicopter to St. Alphonsus Regional
Medical Center in Boise with mul-
tiple fractures andrib injuries, Conrad
said.
Alton was driving a 1994 Ford
pick -up that was reported stolen last
Thursday from Kennewick, Wash.,
Conrad said. Both vehicles involved
in the accident were heavily dam-
aged.
Valley County sheriff's deputies
responded to the accident, which
closed Idaho 55 for two hours. Traffic
was backed up for more than four
miles each way, Conrad said.
Four die i Idaho 55
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
A two- vehicle accident one mile north
of Donnelly on Idaho 55 killed four people
and injured four others on Monday after
two vehicles collided on the slick highway.
At about 9:22 a.m, a Dodge minivan
driven south by Tina Allen, 39, of Lake
Fork lost control on the icy road, slid side-
ways several feet and was hit broadside by
a northbound 1984 Lincoln, Idaho State
Police said.
Allen was transported to McCall Me-
morial Hospital, but later died of traumatic
injuries, police said. Two other vassen¢ers
wreck
in her vehicle were pronounced dead at the
scene by Valley County Coroner Marvin
Heikkila.
Killed were Allen's daughters, Kim-
berly Rose Yerk, 20, and Stelina Bell -Yerk,
14, both of Lake Fork. Both were wearing
their seat belts but died of traumatic inju-
ries, Heikkila said.
The driver of the 1984 Lincoln, 49 -year-
old Jack Martin of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,
also was killed in the accident. Police said
he was not wearing a seat belt. He died of
traumatic injuries, Heikkila said.
Two children in Allen's vehicle sur-
vived the accident. Five - month -old Austin
Yerk, of Lake Fork, was taken to McCall
Memorial Hospi4l and treated and re-
leased. Edward Allen, 3, of Lake Fork,
was taken to the McCall hospital and
treated for a leg injury. He was in stable
condition on Tuesday, a hospital spokes-
person said.
Martin's wife, Virginia Martin, 46, also
of Fort Lauderdale, was taken to McCall
Memorial Hospital with a broken collar-
bone. She was in stable condition on
Tuesday, a hospital spokesperson said.
Staff at the McCall Memorial Hospital
treated five patients from the accident, us-
ing every emergency room trauma station
and calling in almost 10 extra doctors,
nurses and emergency medical technicians,
Unit Coordinator Maureen Perseo said.
"We didn't declare it a disaster situa-
tion but we called in all of our on -call
people," Perseo said.
Monday's accident closed Idaho 55
until noon, with emergency crews work-
ing in one lane until 2:45 p.m., police said.
Responding to the scene were both the
Donnelly Ambulance and Fire Protection
Association, the McCall Ambulance and
Fire Protection District, Idaho State Po-
lice, McCall police and the Valley County
Sheriff's Department.
5�aK - Ale- c,-) s
Daugherty gets 10 -year sentence
in death of Cascade
A Smiths Ferry man was sen-
tenced to 10 years in prison last
week for vehicular manslaughter
in connection with the death of a
Cascade High School student last
year.
William Daugherty was given
the 10 -year sentence with a three
year fixed term during a sentencing
hearing before Fourth District Judge
George Carey at the Valley County
Courthouse in Cascade.
Carey also ordered Daugherty
to pay $4,338 in restitution to the
family of the victim, Michelle
Larsen, 17, of Smiths Ferry.
H.S. student
Daugherty was the driver of a
pickup that plunged into the North
Fork of the Payette River about two
miles north of Smiths Ferry last
April.
Larsen was killed after she was
thrown from the pickup into the
river and drowned. Searchers found
her body two days later. Daugherty
and three other passengers escaped
serious injury.
Daughtery originally pleaded not
guilty to the charge but changed his
plea to guilty shortly before his
scheduled trial date, which had been
set for December.
/ / 16, / 179-47
Cascade man dies in
single vehicle accident
WHITE BIRD — A 35- year -old Cascade man was killed Saturday
in a single vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 95 south of here.
Charles E. Snyder was pronounced dead at the scene of the acci-
dent, which took place shortly after noon.
According to an Idaho State Police dispatcher at Lewiston, Snyder
was north -bound in a 1988 Ford pickup towing a camp - trailer when
the trailer began to fish -tail.
That, in turn, caused Snyder to lose control of the vehicle off the
east side of the roadway where the vehicle hit a rock wall. The pick-
up then rolled onto its top, ejecting Snyder.
According to the report, he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time
of the accident.
The pickup he was driving was registered to his father Gene, of
Cascade. Snyder's mother Bea Snyder writes an occasional column
on Valley County history for The Long Valley Advocate.
%5-/97
Crash kills
Cascade man
on U.S. 95
A Cascade man was killed Satur-
day afternoon when he lost control of
his pickup on U.S. 95 near Slate Creek
along the Salmon River, Idaho State
Police reported.
Charles E. Snyder, 35, was dead at
the scene, • an ISP report said. The
accident happened when the trailer
Snyder's pickup was pulling began
fish- tailing and caused him to lose
control.
The pickup hit a rock wall, causing
it to roll, ejecting Snyder. He was not
wearing a seat belt, the ISP•said.
1, -, S�-a r, /YrY✓5
Two men hurt
in ID 55 wreck
near Donnelly
Two men suffered minor injuries
on Saturday after the pickup they were
riding in rolled over on Idaho 55 about
three miles north of Donnelly.
William Hallett of Boise was driv-
ing a blue Mazda truck at about 5:30
p.m. when he lost control of the ve-
hicle, rolled and landed in the west
roadside ditch.
Hallett and a passenger, Armando
Burnette of Caldwell, were both taken
to McCall Memorial Hospital, where
they were treated and released.
No further information was re-
leased by the Valley County Sheriff's
Department.
ST ,91z N ws q -4 -5/7
Star -News Photo by Jeanne Seol
Woman dies in Goose Cr. Rd. wreck
Rescue workers inspect the scene of an accident on She was pronounced dead at 2:42 p.m. at the scene. Sims
Aug. 27 in which a Payette woman died. Eugenia M. was driving north when she apparently "drifted off the
Sims, 86, was killed on Aug. 27 when her 1975 Ford roadway and overturned," an Idaho State Police report
pickup overturned on Goose Creek Road about said. Police believe Sims may have suffered a heart
three miles north of Brundage Mountain Ski Area. attack or stroke before the accident.
NEWS
Star -News Photo by Tom Grote
Rescuers, left, prepare to put one injured person of Idaho 55 accident ir.io ambulance while crews
work to free second victim from car.
Idaho 55 wreck inures three
l
Three people were injured last
week in a three - vehicle accident on
Idaho 55 near Lake Fork after traffic
stopped because of power line re-
pairs.
At 1:38 p.m. last Thursday, Maria
Titcze, 46, of Lake Fork, was driving
a car northbound on Idaho 55 about
one -half mile south of Lake Fork when
she was stopped by a flagger working
for Idaho Power Co., Idaho State Po-
lice said.
Idaho Power crews had one lane of
traffic blocked with power trucks
while crews replaced power lines
along the highway.
While Titcze's vehicle was wait-
ing for the flagger to allow her to
continue, a vehicle driven by Jamethon
Chanley, 33, of Ada County, was driv-
ing northbound behind Titcze and did
not see her vehicle stopped on the
road, police said.
Chanley struck the rear of Titcze's
vehicle and pushed it into the path of
a southbound semi -truck driven by
Robin Billings, 46, of Bend, Ore.
Titcze suffered multiple bruises to
her chest and was taken by ambulance
to McCall Memorial Hospital, where
she was kept overnight for observa-
tion and released on Friday, Director
of Nursing Linda Klind said.
A passenger in the Titcze vehicle,
Jennifer Titcze, no age available, of
Lake Fork, was also transported by
ambulance to McCall Memorial Hos-
pital with face cuts and a head injury.
She was treated and released, Klind
said.
Billings suffered bruises to his
chest and was taken to McCall Me-
morial, where he was treated and re-
leased, Klind said.
Chanley was cited for inattentive
driving by Idaho State Police. The
accident closed the highway for about
an hour, police said.
J�'4 R A/1-- vas X/P /e - ' /'/ i11) /9ff,
war -News -1— uy vmoy ..ti
McCall rollover injures three
Dameon Romero, 19, of McCall, rolled his McCall Police Department. Romero and passen-
Toyota pickup last Thursday near Ponderosa gers Jesse Defoort, 17, McCall, and Donald
State Park. Romero, who was partially thrown Lichincman,19, ofNew York, were taken to McCall
out the back window during the accident, was Memorial Hospital, where they were treated for
cited for careless driving, according to the neck injuries and minor cuts and released.
kL§
Star -News Photo by Corey Wicks
Rescue workers lift a victim of last week's two -car accident on Idaho 55 into an ambulance.
Two hurt in Idaho 55 collision
Two people were injured Fri-
day in a two -car collision on Idaho
55 and Paddy Flat Road north of
Donnelly, the Valley County
Sheriffs Office report.
Clarence and Dayna
LeFavour of Cascade suffered
bruises and scrapes when their
Ford Bronco collided with a Ford
Ranger truck driven by Belinda
Gau, 40, of Donnelly:
Gau was pulling out of Paddy
Flat Road heading east across the
highway when her car and the
Bronco, driven by Clarence
LeFavour, 46, collided, said Deputy
Joe Conrad of the Valley County
sheriffs office.
Gau said she did not see the
Bronco coming, Conrad said. There
is a dip in the highway j ust south of
Paddy Flat Road which can obscure
vision of oncoming vehicles, he
said. Gau was not injured but was
cited with failure to yield.
The Bronco was traveling at
about 65 mph when the accident
occurred at 9:17 a.m. Dayna
LeFavour, 34, a passenger in the
Bronco, was ejected and rolled over
the side of the highway embank-
ment.
Both were taken by ambulance
to McCall Memorial Hospital,
where they were treated and re-
leased. -
Boise woman lfllled in Idaho 55 accident
Three -car pileup
injures another,
causes delays
By Thomas ciouse
The Idaho Statesman
A Boise woman was killed
Sunday when her car swerved
into oncoming traffic and
crashed into two other vehicles
on Idaho 55 north of Boise.
The three -car pile up injured
another man and snarled traffic
near Shadow Valley Golf
Course for more than 90 min-
utes.
The woman, 51, who authori-
ties had not identified pending
notification of family, was dri-
ving her silver Toyota Camry at
about 3:20 p.m. southbound on
Idaho 55.
Kevin Herfel, 28, of McCall,
was northbound when he saw
the Canny ease into his lane of
traffic.
"It (the
car) came
across the "I saw the
lane, like C,S and I
it was go-
pass. It thought, `Oh
went back God. This 1s
across, , 19 then it Really bad.
swerved
hard back RONALD HERFEL
into my father of man
lane," involved in accident
Herfel
said.
He moved his 1989 Cutlass
Sierra to try to avoid a crash,
but the Camry struck it near the
driver's door, and then slid
back, taking out Herfel's back
axle.
Herfel's car spun twice before
coming to a stop in the ditch.
The Camry spun around an-
other northbound car before
crashing head -on with a
Chevrolet pickup driven by an-
other man.
That driver suffered a broken
leg and was transported by am-
bulance to Saint Alphonsus Re-
gional Medical Center. He was
still in surgery at press time.
The Life Flight helicopter was
called for the driver of the
Canny.
The helicopter circled above
until it was determined that the
woman was dead, said Sgt. Rita
Rowe, with the Ada County
Sheriff's Department.
Providing comfort: Ronald Herfel comforts his grandchildren, Mechelle, 9, right, and Justin, 4, af-
ter they were involved in at three -car accident Sunday on Idaho 55. The two children were headed
north in a car with their father, Kevin Hertel, when a car swerved into their lane. The family was
uninjured.
Eagle Fire Department re- around in shock and don't Mechelle and 4- year -old Justin.
sponded and used heavy equip - know how they are," he said. "I saw the cars and I thought,
ment to open a space big Ronald. Herfel and his wife `Oh God. This is really bad, "' he
enough to take the woman from
the car.
As the emergency personnel
worked to free the woman, Her
fel sat along the fence with his
two children, who were
wearing seat belts and were not
hurt.
"I was just sitting there and it
felt like Dad forgot something
and he jerked over to the side of
the road," 9- year -old Mechelle
Herfel said. "It was scary. Dad
told us to get out of the car. I got
out as fast as I could."
Kevin Herfel called his fa-
ther, Ronald Herfel of Middle-
ton.
"He (Kevin) said everybody
was OK. But some people walk
��S ` f G ? " C ��S 1 7 G ��" / t
T w o m v e h i e l e
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B y T h o m a s C l o u s e
T h e I d a h o S t a t e s m a n
S e v e n p e o p l e w e r e i n j u r e d
S u n d a y i n a b r o a d s i d e c o l l i s i o n
n e a r H o r s e s h o e B e n d i n v o l v i n g
a p i c k u p t r u c k w i t h t h r e e c h i l -
d r e n r i d i n g i n t h e b a c k .
A c a m p e r s h e l l o n t h e p i c k u p
w a s k n o c k e d o f f b y t h e i m p a c t ,
b u t i t k e p t t h e c h i l d r e n f r o m b e -
i n g t h r o w n o u t , I d a h o S t a t e P o -
l i c e C p l . P e t e C o w l e s s a i d .
F i v e o f t h e p e o p l e w e r e t a k e n
b y a m b u l a n c e a n d t w o w e r e
t a k e n b y L i f e F l i g h t h e l i c o p t e r
t o S a i n t A l p h o n s u s R e g i o n a l
M e d i c a l C e n t e r , b u t n o n e o f
t h e i r i n j u r i e s a p p e a r e d t o b e
l i f e - t h r e a t e n i n g .
T h e a c c i d e n t o c c u r r e d a t 8 : 5 0
a . m . o n I d a h o 5 5 a t t h e t o p o f t h e
h i l l l e a d i n g d o w n t o H o r s e s h o e
B e n d .
T r e a t e d a n d r e l e a s e d w e r e
C h a r l e s P . D a u g h e r t y , 5 3 , o f
B o i s e ; W a y n e S z a l a y S r . 3 9 ,
J e s s i c a S z a l a y , 1 5 , a n d J o s h u a
C a y f o r d , 1 0 , a l l o f H o r s e s h o e
B e n d .
C h a n t h a S z a l a y , 1 2 , w a s s t i l l
b e i n g e v a l u a t e d l a t e S u n d a y .
C a r o l y n K i d d e r , 1 5 , a n d W a y n e
S z a l a y J r . , 1 0 , b o t h o f H o r s e -
s h o e B e n d , r e m a i n e d i n S a i n t
A l ' s .
D a u g h e r t y w a s d r i v i n g h i s
1 9 9 8 C h e v y B l a z e r n o r t h b o u n d
o n I d a h o 5 5 w h e n h e h i t a p a t c h
o f i c e , d r i f t e d s i d e w a y s a n d
c r o s s e d t h e c e n t e r l i n e , C o w l e s
s a i d .
A s o u t h b o u n d 1 9 8 6 M a z d a
p i c k u p , d r i v e n b y W a y n e S z a -
l a y S r . , t h e n s t r u c k t h e B l a z e r
b r o a d s i d e , C o w l e s s a i d .
D a u g h e r t y w a s c i t e d o n d r i -
v i n g t o o f a s t f o r c o n d i t i o n s .
C a l l s t o t h e I S P d i s p a t c h e r
d e s c r i b e d a s c e n e w i t h b o d i e s
l y i n g e v e r y w h e r e . B u t C o w l e s
f o u n d s m i l e s .
T h e c h i l d r e n " w e r e s c a r e d , o f
c o u r s e , b u t t h e y w e r e l o o k i n g
f o r w a r d t o i c e c r e a m a n d s t a y -
i n g a n i g h t i n t h e h o s p i t a l , "
C o w l e s s a i d . T h e l i t t l e b o y
w i t h t h e b r o k e n l e g e n c o u r a g e d
m e .
" W i t h a l l t h e t h i n g s t h e s e
k i d s w e r e g o i n g t h r o u g h , i t w a s
v e r y r e f r e s h i n g , " C o w l e s s a i d .
" S o m e b o d y m u s t h a v e b e e n
l o o k i n g o u t f o r t h e s e k i d s , b e -
c a u s e i t c o u l d h a v e b e e n m u c h
w o r s e . "
Crash kills
Rep. Bieter,
wife, Eloise,
on Idaho 55
By Steve Bard and Sara Kuhl
The Idaho Statesman
Rep. Patrick Bieter of Boise
and his wife, Eloise, were killed
Sunday afternoon in a head -on
traffic collision north of Horse-
shoe Bend,
stunning Ida- ;
ho govern-
ment leaders
and the Boise
and Basque
communities.
As a Demo-
cratic legisla-
tor, Bieter
fought for bet- Patrick Bieter
ter schools and Democratic
for better pay representative
and conditions
for workers.
As a teacher at Boise High
School and Boise State Univer-
sity, he was so popular that for-
mer students helped him cam-
paign for office.
As an adopted member of the
Basque community, he helped
Idaho companies establish busi-
nesses in the Basque homeland
and also set up a Boise State
University cultural- studies pro-
gram there.
"It's a terrible shock," said
Molly Lazechko, chairwoman
of Ada County Democrats.
"We're going to miss him terri-
bly. It's going to be almost im-
possible to replace Pat Bieter."
The accident happened about
1:17 p.m. some 18 miles north of
Horseshoe Bend on Idaho 55,
Idaho State Police said. Several
vehicles had skidded off the icy road
in the area, they said.
The Bieters, of Boise's North End,
were driving home from a wedding in
McCall. A car carrying another Boise
couple, headed to the mountain re-
sort city to visit their son, and the Bi-
eters' Oldsmobile Cutlass collided
head -on, apparently after the other
car hit some ice in a shaded area,
State Police said.
The Bieters died at the scene.
The couple in the other car — busi-
ness owner Robert Scott, 62, and
Karen Scott, 58 — were taken to
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical
Center. They suffered relatively mi-
nor injuries, considering the violence
of the crash, their son, Bill Scott, said.
"My parents will be all right physi-
cally," Bill Scott said at the hospital.
"EmotionaLy, it's quite a tragedy to
be involved in an accident where two
people were :Killed."
Fatal collision
A fatal crash 18 miles north of Horseshoe
Bend killed Idaho Rep. Patrick Bieter and
his wife Eloise.
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SEMI TADS TURN INTO RIVER
Roger Phillips / The Idaho Statesman
A tractor - trailer on Monday afternoon plunged into the North Fork of the Payette River after its driver lost
control of the vehicle on Idaho 55 about four miles north of Banks, the Idaho State Police said. Allan
White, 57, was southbound at about 3 p.m. when he took a turn too quickly, ISP said. The truck, loaded
with shredded bark, rolled 40 feet down an embankment. White, of Warrenton, Mo., was treated at Saint
Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and released. The trailer was scheduled to be removed today.
Ice from fog causes wrecks near Donnelly
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -Nears
Black ice caused from fog freezing on Idaho 55 Monday morning caused four accidents in about 45
minutes south of Donnelly, Valley County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Lt. Dan Smith said.
William Jack Lewis, 51, of Meridian, lost control of his Ford Ranger about 8:23 a.m. and ran off Idaho
55 north of the intersection with Farm to Market Road and Loomis Lane, Smith said.
Lewis was taken to St. Luke's McCall where he was treated and released for a cut on his head and
shoulder pain, Smith said.
Three minutes after Lewis's accident, Barbara Falls, 57, of Boise slid off the road in her Honda Accord
just south of Lewis's wreck site, Smith said. Falls was not injured in the one - vehicle accident.
Twenty -two minutes later, Jennifer Holbrook, 32, of McCall lost control of her Chevy Suburban and
rolled.
Holbrook had to extricated from the vehicle and was transported to St. Luke's McCall where she was
treated and released, Smith said. Holbrook's accident was 100 yards north of the first accident, Smith
said.
Twenty -four minutes later Paul Curtis, 64, of McCall, had parked his GMC Yukon to attend to his wife,
Falls, from the second wreck of the morning when Rebecca Wingett, 57, of Boise lost control of her Ford
Escape and hit the passenger side of Curtis's parked Yukon. No one was injured, Smith said.
Motorists should slow down and be prepared for black ice conditions especially when there is fog in
the valley and the temperature drops a little after sunrise, Smith said_
DONNELLY MAN HURT IN ATV INCIDENT
In a separate incident unrelated to the fog, Barry Rogers, 60, of Donnelly was injured in a four - wheeler
accident along Mud Creek off Cameron Drive in Donnelly Sunday, Smith said.
Rogers' ATV became stuck on a log, Smith said. When he reversed the ATV to free the ATV it slipped
down an embankment, landing on Rogers' chest, Smith said.
Rogers was taken to St. Luke's McCall and was later transferred to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical
Center in Boise where he was listed in stable condition Wednesday morning.
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
Kooskia woman, 61, dies in wreck on Idaho 55 north of Cascade
A Kooskia woman was killed and two people were injured in a head on crash on Idaho 55 north of
Cascade Saturday morning, Idaho State Police Senior Trooper Mike Sherbondy said.
Nancy Andrews, 61, of Kooskia, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash that happened about
three miles north of Little Donner Pass on Idaho 55, Sherbondy said.
Amberlie Fowler, 38, of Cascade was traveling northbound in a 1993 Chevrolet pickup when she lost
control of her vehicle, fishtailed and crossed the center line, colliding head on with a 2000 Ford Windstar
van driven by Ronald Andrews, 67, of Kooskia, Sherbondy said.
Nancy Andrews was a passenger in the van when the accident happened at 9:39 a.m.
Fowler and Andrews were transported by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in
Boise.
Fowler was treated and released and Ronald Andrews was listed in good condition Tuesday
afternoon, said St. Alphonus Medical Center spokesperson Elizabeth Duncan.
Both Fowler and Ronald Andrews were wearing their seatbelts. Nancy Andrews was not wearing a
seatbelt, Sherbondy said.
Ice on the roadway was a factor in the crash, he said.
http:// www. mccallsta,rnews .com/pages /fp_stories�age.php 11/10/2011
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
Blackft fepn dies in Idaho 55 edreck near Smiths Ferry
A Blackfoot teenager was killed in a two -car accident Saturday morning on Idaho 55 south of Smiths
Ferry, Idaho State Police Cpl. Mike Sherbondy said.
Sarah C. Asmus, 18, of Blackfoot, died Sunday from her injuries at St. Alphonsus Medical Center in
Boise.
The accident occurred at 11:06 a.m. Saturday when Katherine L. Bulcher, 19, of Hansen lost control of
the 2006 Toyota Camry she was driving.
The car fish - tailed and crossed the center line into the path of a 2003 Ford F350 pickup truck driven by
Vernon D. Chitwod, 62, of Boise.
Chitwood attempted to avoid the collision but was unable to, Sherbondy said.
Bulcher, Chitwood and Asmus were all taken by ambulance to St. Alphonsus.
Bulcher was in critical condition Monday afternoon. Chitwood was treated and released.
"It appears that seat belts were worn by all occupants," Sherbondy said.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 11/23/2011
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
Two injured when semi -truck hits bus
A slow -speed collision between a bus and a semi•truck south of Cascade on Friday sent two people to
the hospital for evaluation.
A Boise - Winnemucca Stages bus was headed south from Cascade on Idaho 55 at 4 p.m. on Friday
when the accident occurred.
Gary Sprague, 71, of Caldwell, was driving a Food Services semi as the two vehicles were traveling
near Gold Dust Road, the Valley County Sheriff's Office reported.
The bus slowed after a car ahead signaled to turn. Sprague applied the brakes on the wet road and
the truck slowed down but still bumped the back of the bus, causing minor damage, the sheriffs office
reported.
Bus driver Deryk Swinnerton, 45, of Boise, and passenger Marth Campos, 48, of Hammond, Ind„
experienced minor injuries and went to Cascade Medical Center, Cascade Rural Fire Protection District
Chief Jim Hass said.
The two were examined and released, a nursing supervisor at the medical center said.
http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/ft) p_stories_page.php 1/31/2013
front page
Two hurt in Idaho 55 wreck at Lake Fork
Two people suffered minor injuries in a two -car crash on Friday on Idaho 55 just north of take Fork
Road, the Idaho State Police reporter.
A car driven by Gary Kutterer, 72, of McCall, was stopped in the southbound lane about 7:30 a.m. and
was wading to turn left into the Midas Gold Corp. parking lot, ISP Trooper Mike Sherbondy said.
A car driven by Timothy Bailey, 44, of McCall, was traveling south behind Kutterer car and hit
Kutterer's car in the rear, Sherbondy said.
Bailey's car then overturned and skidded into the northbound lane into the path of a car driven by
Steve Hansen, 51, of Donnelly, Sherbondy said.
Kutterer and Hansen were taken to St. Luke's McCall, where they were treated for minor injuries and
released. There were no passengers in any of the cars involved.
Bailey was cited for inattentive driving, Sherbondy said.
http: / /www.mccallstarnews .com/pages /fp_stories _page -php 2/7/2013
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
Boise man hurt in Idaho 55 rollover
A Boise man injured when he rolled his vehicle south of Smiths Ferry on Sunday, the Valley County
Sheriffs Office reported.
Duane Gibler, 65, was driving on Idaho 55 when he drifted off the road and rolled his 2003 GMC
Yukon. The vehicle did not go into the North Fork of the Payette River.
Authorities said the road was dry and clear at the time.
Gibler was flown by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, where he was treated
and released, a nursing supervisor said-
http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/ft) stories _page.php 2/21/2013
This week's front page stories
Three injured in Idaho 55 wreck Sunday
Three people were injured on Sunday following a three - vehicle crash seven miles south of Donnelly on
Idaho 55, the Idaho State Police reported.
State troopers were called to the scene following the crash at 12:24 p.m.
Eric Ratzlaff, 46, of Nampa was traveling north when he lost control of his car and struck a car driven
by Vikki E. Paulson, 65, of Boise, who was traveling south.
Ratzlafrs vehicle then struck a pickup driven by Kelly Black, 54, of Boise, who was also traveling
south.
Ratzlaff, his wife, Theresa, 54, and passenger Julie Jackson, 55, of Colorado, were all taken by
ambulance to St. Luke's McCall.
Eric Ratzlaff was transferred to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where he was listed
in good condition on Tuesday.
Theresa Ratzlaff was admitted to St. Luke's McCall and was listed in fair condition on Tuesday.
Jackson was treated and released.
Ambulances from Cascade, Donnelly and McCall responded to the scene.
Page 1 of 1
0
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cts front page stories Page 1 of 1
McCall public works director, wife seriously injured in accident
BY KENDEL WRILANT
For The Stu -News
McCall Public Works Director Peter Borner and his wife are thankful to be alive after a high -speed car
crash near Riggins last Thursday.
Bomer and his wife, Detra, were traveling to Grangeville
for a friend's wedding when the accident occurred on U.S.
s
95 eight miles south of Riggins.
' i
An oncoming car in the southbound lane stopped suddenly
+
to make a right -hand turn, causing a semi -truck behind it to
slam on its brakes, according to an Idaho State Police
report.
The semi lost control and veered into the northbound lane,
where it hit the Bomers' Durango head -on, according to the
e.a.m amos«Pd,.
report. The posted speed limit along that part of the highway
Thu sda ue Ri� �rsmoush warned
is 55 mph.
t,b-t ;aB Pubha %V d. Nritor Peter Batuer and h.
,„de
Peter Bomer, who was driving, said in an interview from
his hospital bed that the crash happened in the blink of an eye.
"One minute the road was clear, and the next minute I was telling Detra, 'Oh no," he said.
Emergency rescue crews from Riggins and McCall responded to the accident.
Detra Bomer was taken by ambulance to St. Luke's McCall, then transferred by air
ambulance to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.
Rescue crews attempted to take Peter Bomer to Boise by air ambulance, but the
helicopter could not make the trip due to bad weather.
Bomer was instead taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.
Peter Botver
Detra Bomer underwent emergency surgery to repair damage to her colon, bowel and ankle and
another surgery to repair her broken clavicle, Peter Borner said.
The Bomers each suffered cracked sternums, multiple cracked ribs, and fractured vertebrae. Peter
Borner also suffered a ruptured disk in his back.
Bomer was released from St. Joseph Wednesday afternoon. He did not know when his wife would be
able to leave Saint AI's.
"Anyone who saw our Durango and the semi (after the c(ash) is amazed that we're alive, and certainly
we feel exactly the same way," Bomer said. "The air bags and seat belts helped, but there was a higher
power here at work."
Borner said they are both thankful for the outpouring of support from friends and the community in
McCall and elsewhere.
"It means a lot to us," he said.
City Engineer Nathan Stewart is acting public works director in Bomer's absence.
The public works director oversees the city's water, streets, and sewer divisions, which have a
combined budget of $6.9 million and 22 employees.
Borner started working as the public works director in June 2010.
The accident was still under investigation as of Wednesday.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories�age.php 6/6/2013
This week's front page stories
Meridian woman, 31, dies in wreck south of Smiths Ferry
A Meridian woman died on Sunday when the car she was driving crossed into the path of cattle truck
on Idaho 55 about four miles south of Cascade, Idaho State Police said.
Kristen Scoff, 31, was declared dead at the scene of the accident, which backed up traffic for miles in
either direction for about four hours, an ISP news release said.
The accident happened about 2:18 p.m. Sunday when the 2000 Dodge Caravan driven by Scoff was
heading north and missed a curve and crossed into the southbound lane.
The car was struck by a 1992 Peterbuilt cattle hauler driven by Daniel McCroden, 70, of Nampa.
McCroden was not injured.
It was not known if Scott was wearing a seat belt, the ISP said.
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North Carolina kayaker drowned near end of boating trip
BY DAN GALLAGHER
for The Stu -News
A 22- year -old North Carolina man died on June 5 while kayaking with friends on the North Fork of the
Payette River south of Smiths Ferry.
Eric Weigel of Asheville, N.C., drowned after flipping his kayak in the dangerous Class V
rapids.
fgj ' Early reports suggested Weigel died from a head injury by hitting a rock, as there was a
bruise above his eye. The cause of death was determined to be drowning, Valley County
Sheriffs Lt. Dan Smith said Monday.
6ne%VMel The recent graduate of Furman University in South Carolina was kayaking the stretch
with two friends as part of a 21—day boating trip.
He was upside down for several minutes until they could bring him to shore, Smith said.
CPR was used by the kayakers and sheriffs deputies until a medical helicopter arrived. He died at the
scene and was not transported away by air, Smith said.
The death occurred the day before the second annual North Fork Championship, billed as a "race on
some of the world's most difficult whitewater."
Weigel was an exceptional student and athlete, according to published reports after the accident.
He had attended the private Asheville School before graduating as a National Merit Scholar from
Furman with a chemistry degree. He also was an accomplished pianist and competed in swimming
throughout his school career.
Randy Ashley, head cross country coach at Asheville School, coached Weigel in his senior year.
"He was a super friendly, polite, well- respected individual," Ashley told the Asheville Citizen -Times last
Thursday. "He was intelligent. He studied hard, he did well at all the things he did."
Weigel also was regarded as an expert kayaker. During spring break, Weigel and friends paddled 225
miles down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
The North Fork between Smiths Ferry and Banks is a technical stretch of river with a large vertical
drop per mile. The definition of Class V rapids is "exceedingly difficult, long and violent rapids, following
each other almost without interruption.'
In 2011, 19- year -old Stephen Forster of Wilton, Conn., was kayaking with a friend on the river when he
went under water and failed to surface. His body was found four miles downstream.
Six weeks later, Boyce Greer of Amherst, N.H., died after he became trapped in a rocky section known
as Jacob's Ladder. Greer was an expert kayaker and an early investor in the Liquidlogic line of river
kayaks.
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Semi -truck crash on U.S. 95 near NM blocks traffic for 7 hours
A semi -truck overturned on U.S. 95 12 miles north of New Meadows last Thursday, blocking traffic in
one lane for seven hours, Idaho State Police said.
The accident happened about 3:20 p.m. last Thursday when the semiwtruck driven by James Sandell,
40, of West Jordan, Utah, was traveling southbound.
Sandell drove the vehicle off the right shoulder of the roadway. He lost control and the semi -truck
overturned, coming to rest in the southbound lane.
Sendall was wearing a seat belt. The crash was under investigation by the Idaho State Police.
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This week's front page stories
McCall man dies when pickup plunges into South Fork Salmon River
A 74- year -old McCall man died last week when his pickup plunged into the South Fork of the Salmon
River east of Cascade.
Rescuers spent three hours in the river recovering the
body of Pat Donica of McCall.
Officers were dispatched at noon on June 12 to a call that
a vehicle ran into the water near the intersection of the
South Fork and the East Fork of the South Fork of the
Salmon River near Yellow Pine, Valley County Sheriffs Lt.
Dan Smith said.
Sheriff's deputies, Idaho State Police and the Cascade
Rural Fire Protection District's Swiftwater rescue team
headed to the site.
A passerby earlier noticed debris on the dirt road. He
spotted the cab of a truck in the East Fork and reported that
a person might be inside.
An investigation found that the 2004 Ford Ranger failed to
negotiate a turn on the road, hit a large rock and rolled,
crushing the roof.
ohmteers Steve Hull, an shore, and Tobv
Hawlmts, m n er, from the C.wade Rw� l Fue
Peoteetim DistnA work to mover thep kup drat
tan into the East Fork of the South Forit Salmon
River last week, hallntg a McCall man
It rolled back onto its wheels but then went into the water. Donica was buckled in and the airbags
deployed.
Valley County Coroner Nathan Hess listed the cause of death as head trauma and drowning.
Due to the strong river flow, rescuers brought in a backhoe, which tied onto a tow truck to pull the Ford
across the river and out of the water.
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http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /fp_stories _page.php 6/20/2013
This week's front page stories
Idaho 55 mash Tuesday blocks one lane for two hours
An accident on Idaho 55 south of Smiths Ferry on Tuesday closed the northbound lane for two hours,
the Idaho State Police reported.
The accident happened about 8:39 a.m. Tuesday just north of the Boise - Valley county line when Brian
Dusho, 42, of McCall, was driving south on Idaho 55, the ISP said.
Dusho attempted to navigate a right curve and went in to the north lane. He overcorrected back across
the southbound lane of travel and ran off the road.
Dusho overcorrected a second time and overturned the vehicle onto the passenger side, where it
came to rest in the northbound lane.
All occupants were wearing a seat belt and there were no serious injuries, the ISP report said.
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6/20/2013
Robh- -p-\Wk -,
WRECK INJURES EAGLE MAN - Rescuers assist
Steven Elias of Eagle after his motorcycle wrecked
on Goose Creek Grade on Idaho 55 west of McCall
last Thursday. Elias, 59, was riding his motorcycle
north about 11:45 a.m. when the bike failed to
negotiate a curve, slid off the road and struck an
embankment, the Idaho State Police reported.
Bliss, who was wearing a helmet, was taken by
Meadows Valley Ambulance to St. Luke's in
McCall, where he was Messed after treatment. The
highway was reduced to one lane of traffic for
about an hour until the wreck was cleared.
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6/4/2015
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Rigby man injured in two -car crash near New Meadows
A Rigby man was injured in a two -car crash on Saturday on Idaho 55 four miles south of New
Meadows, the Idaho State Police reported.
Leslie Jacobs, 50, of Boise, was traveling south in her car about 5:15 p.m. when she stopped to make
a left turn onto Last Chance Road, an ISP report said.
Darwin Poole, 48, of Rigby, was traveling behind Jacobs on a motorcycle pulling a trailer. Poole failed
to stop and his motorcycle his Jacobs' car and slid off the road, the report said.
Poole was taken by ambulance to St Luke's McCall, where he was scheduled to be released on
Monday, a hospital spokesperson said.
Jacobs was not injured and was wearing a seat belt, the ISP report said.
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Power cut to 2,100 homes after car hits pole on Idaho 55 Friday
Electrical power was cut to about 2,100 customers of Idaho Power Co. when a car left Idaho 55 and hit
a power pole Friday afternoon south of McCall.
A car driven by Jeremy Osterhout, 30, of McCall, left Idaho 55 near Knob Hill Road about 4:15 p.m.
and struck the pole, Valley County Sheriffs Lt. Dan Smith said.
Traffic was blocked for about an hour until the vehicle could be removed, Smith said.
Osterhout was transported by ambulance to St. Luke's McCall, where he was treated and released.
He was cited for inattentive driving and having no proof of insurance.
The initial outage affected a feeder that serves a large area west of the McCall Airport and south along
the North Fork of the Payette River, according to an Idaho Power Co, report.
Power was restored to 1,470 customers within an hour. Another 616 customers were out for a while
longer, but all service was restored by 7:18 p.m., according the report.
The last group of customers was mostly west and north of the Jug Mountain Ranch Golf Course and
most were north of Lake Fork on both sides of Idaho 55, the report said.
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Horse -car collision Monday closes Idaho 55 for hour
Idaho 55 south of McCall was closed for an hour on Monday morning after a car and a horse collided
near Johnson Lane.
The accident happened about 9 a.m. Monday when a car driven by Cheyenne Jedry, 37, of Donnelly,
hit the horse, which died at the scene.
Jedry was taken by ambulance to St. Luke's McCall, where she was treated and released.
Traffic on Idaho 55 was diverted onto adjacent roads while the accident scene was cleared.
Four horses had escaped from a field near Idaho 55 and crossed the highway, the Valley County
Sheriffs Office said.
Something spooked the herd and one horse bolted back onto the road, the sheriffs office said.
Jedry told officers the horse ran onto the highway before she could react. No citations were issued.
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Boise man hurt when motorcycle hits deer
A Bosie man remained in a Boise hospital on Tuesday recovering from injuries he suffered when his
motorcycle and a deer collided on Warren Wagon Road north of McCall last Thursday.
Charles Scheer, 69, was listed in fair condition Tuesday at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, a
hospital spokesperson said.
The collision occured about 10:45 a.m. on Aug. 13 on Warren Wagon Road about 2 -1/2 miles north of
Secesh Summit, McCall Fire & EMS reported.
Scheer was riding his motorcycle north when a deer jumped out directly into his path, according to an
Idaho County Sheriffs Office report.
He had no time to react and hit the deer square, the report said.
Scheer was taken by ambulance to St. Luke's McCall and later was flown by air ambulance to St. AI's.
No citation were issued.
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Fruitland woman dies when struck deer hits car windshield
A Fruitland woman died on Sunday when a deer struck by another car hit the car in which she was
riding on U.S. 95 two miles west of New Meadows.
Gail Church, 67, of Fruitland, died at the scene from her injuries, Idaho State Police reported. One
other person was seriously injured.
Church was a passenger in a pickup heading north on U.S. 95 about 9 a.m. Sunday when a car
headed south and driven by Kristen Blehm, 39, of Redding, Calif., struck a deer, the ISP reported.
The deer then struck the pickup driven by Jeffrey Church, 44, of Fruitland and went through the
windshield on the passenger side, where Church was sitting, the report said.
A passenger in the rear seat, Hilda Nuttman, 88, of Cottonwood, was injured and taken by ambulance
to St Luke's McCall.
Nuttman was later transferred to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where she was
reported in serious condition on Tuesday.
Blehm and Church were not injured, and all occupants of both cars were wearing seat belts at the time
of the crash, the ISP reported.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 8/27/2015
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Separate wrecks on Idaho 55 injure two people
I wo men were injured in separate accidents after driving off Idaho 55 along the North Fork of the Payette River, the Valley County Sherifrs Office reported,
Alan Longacre, 27, of Idaho Falls was rounding a comer near Milepost 101 last Thursday at 1:20 p.m. when he lost control of his truck and rolled into a creek, Sheriffs
Lt. Dan Smith said.
He was transported by air ambulance to a Boise hospital.
Daniel Johnson, 17, of Nampa was driving south of the Swinging Bridge area when he went off the road about 6:46 a.m. Saturday.
I he car struck rocks and ended up on its wheels in the river, Smith said.
Johnson suffered a head injury and he was taken by ambulance to Cascade Medical Center.
Medical updates on both Longacre and Johnson were not available.
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10/8/2015