Police Investigate Fatality Crash Near Middleton
MIDDLETON, Idaho (KLIX) – A two-vehicle crash Monday morning near Middleton took the life of an Idaho woman.
The crash, which was reported at 7:30 a.m. on Old U.S. Highway 30 at Goodson northwest of Middleton, involved a Pontiac Grand Am and a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
According to Idaho State Police, 44-year-old Margarita Jimenez Hernandez, of Middleton, was driving northbound on Old US-30 in the Pontiac, while James Leedom, 40, of Caldwell was driving southbound in the Jeep. A vehicle was stopped in the northbound lane waiting to turn left onto Goodson lane, and Jimenez Hernandez drove left of the center line around the vehicle and collided with Leedom's Jeep.
Leedom was taken by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. Jimenez Hernandez and her passengers Catalina Ayala Arizmendi, 56, and Nacimento Jimenez, 67, were taken by ground ambulance to the same hospital. Another passenger with Jimenez Hernandez, Ana Ayala Andrade, 67, of Middleton died of her injuries at the scene, police said.
The highway was blocked at the intersection of Goodson for about three hours while crews worked to clear the scene. The crash is still under investigation.