11 Accidents with 21 Injured and 6 Dead on Idaho Highways in the Last Week
During the summer months, we talked a lot about the 100 Deadliest Days, referring to the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day and the yearly rise in vehicle accidents and deaths during those months. We don’t have a final update or press release for Idaho authorities yet on how the summer of 2023 compares to previous years, but we do know that there were a lot of fatal accidents and they haven’t ended.
Extremely Dangerous Idaho Roads: 11 Accidents with 6 Fatalities in the Last Week
Just because Labor Day is over now and school is back in session, doesn’t mean Idaho roads are any less dangerous. If anything, this last week has been worse than any week during the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer. Between last Sunday, September 10th, and today there have been 11 accidents reported by the Idaho State Police resulting in 21 injuries requiring transport to hospitals plus 6 deaths. There were also 2 accidents reported that did not require medical transport.
The most recent fatal accident happened this morning just after midnight near Blackfoot where 1 juvenile was killed, 2 other juveniles were transported to a hospital, and an adult male required hospital care. Here’s what the initial police report says happened:
A vehicle occupied by three juveniles was traveling northbound on I15 when it left the right shoulder, crossed back over the northbound lanes, left the median shoulder and rolled. The vehicle came to rest in the southbound lanes.
A 2022 Ram Promaster, driven by a 65 year-old male from Idaho Falls, was traveling southbound when it struck the rolled-vehicle.
It is extra alarming how many of these accidents are happening in Southern Idaho and around the Magic Valley. There were fatality accidents last week in Twin Falls, Burley, and Jerome, plus injury accidents in Kimberly and Minidoka. The accident in Twin Falls killed 1 person and sent 2 to the hospital:
Idaho State Police is investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash that occurred at approximately 4:50 a.m. at North 5000 East and eastbound US-30 in Twin Falls County.
A 20-year-old male from Mexico, was travelling southbound on N 5000 East in a 2009 Dodge Journey. A 22-year-old male and his 42-year-old male passenger both from Mexico, were travelling westbound US-30 in a 2016 Nissan Versa. The Dodge impacted the Nissan on the passenger side.
The 3rd fatality accident near Twin Falls last week happened north of Jerome on September 10th. The ISP blog reports:
A 21-year-old male and his 27-year-old male passenger, both of Ketchum, traveling eastbound on 300 N near North Road, driving a 2011 Hyundai Elantra. The driver failed to negotiate the curve, drove up the embankment, and into the canal. Both occupants self-extricated, however, the driver drowned.
Divers with the Cassia County Sheriff's Office dive team searched for several hours and recovered the Hyundai but were unable to locate the driver. The driver was located and recovered on 9/13/2023 by Gooding County Swift Water Rescue Team.
RELATED STORY: 8 Injured in Accident Near Pine/Featherville
Here are all the accidents that happened last week and were reported by ISP:
- Pine - 8 People Injured on 9/10
- Jerome - 1 Dead on 9/10
- Teton City - 1 Dead and 1 Injured on 9/12
- Couer d’Alene - No Injured on 9/13
- Twin Falls - 1 Dead and 2 Injured on 9/13 on US-30
- Minidoka - 1 Injured on 9/13
- Pinehurst - 0 Injured on 9/13
- Kimberly - 3 Injured on 9/14
- Burley - 1 Dead and 2 Injured on 9/15
- Sugar City - 1 Dead on 9/17
- Blackfoot - 1 Dead and 4 Injured on 9/18 - JUVENILE KILLED