Idaho State Police Are Looking For The Driver Who Caused A Pile Up

Idaho State Police tell us a Burley woman wasn’t wearing a seatbelt when she was injured in a crash.  It blocked Interstate 84 westbound near Eden for several hours Wednesday.  Katelyn Hamby is 26-years-old.  She was driving a truck pulling a horse trailer.

Suddenly, a tractor-trailer/tanker made an abrupt lane shift.  As she tried to avoid a collision, she swerved.  A passenger, 45-year-old Rigoberto Alvarado of Moses Lake was also hurt.  Alvarado also wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.  The two were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in Twin Falls.  Another passenger, a child in a safety seat, didn’t need to go to a hospital.

Two more tractor-trailers piled into the original accident scene, one pulling triple trailers.  The driver of the triple, 54-year-old Januz Rexhepi of Nampa, had to be airlifted to a Boise hospital.

The tanker truck making the original unsafe lane change continued down the highway and wasn’t involved in the pile-up.  State Police are looking for the driver and asking any witnesses for help in providing an identity.  It’s possible the driver isn’t aware of the carnage that took place.

Troopers were assisted at the scene by Kimberly Police Department, Jerome County Sheriff's Office, Magic Valley Paramedics, Rock Creek QRU, First Segregation Fire, Air St. Luke's, and Idaho Transportation Department.

The investigation is ongoing.  Accident reconstruction efforts could offer more clues about the tanker and its driver.