Last Friday on November 29th, two vehicles collided on US 95 in White Bird, Idaho. The crash occurred near mile post 222, and involved a 2017 Lexus, driven by a 50-year-old man from Riggins Idaho, and a 2015 Mercedes Benz, driven by a 63-year-old man, accompanied by two passengers, a 66-year-old woman and a juvenile girl.
At 9:18 p.m. the 50-year-old driver of the Lexus was traveling northbound when he veered into the other lane crossing the center line. He collided head-on with the oncoming southbound traffic, which included the occupants of the Mercedes. The resulting collision caused major injuries to all parties. The driver of the Lexus was fatally wounded and passed at the scene. The driver of the Mercedes was critically injured and taken to a local hospital by air ambulance, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The other two passengers of the Mercedes were taken to a hospital by ground ambulance. At the time of the accident, all individuals involved were wearing seatbelts.
We are sorry to hear about the loss of these two men and we send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of them both. We hope that the woman and the girl are able to make a full and timely recovery.
Unfortunately, according to Idaho Transportation Department’s crash report in 2023, 22% of all crashes involving multiple vehicles were a result of head on collision. Multiple vehicle crashes accounted for 72% of all motor vehicle crashes in 2023, leaving a total of 19,807 multi-vehicle crashes.
LIABILTIY FOR ACCIDENTS IN IDAHO
No one who gets into or drives a vehicle wants to be involved in an accident. But unfortunately, car accidents happen. Idaho uses a fault-based system to impose liability on the party most at-fault for the accident. A legal principle called “comparative negligence,” is applied to determine the negligence of all involved parties. If the Plaintiff’s negligence is less than 50%, then she generally can recover damages from the Defendant (or the Defendant’s insurance policy).
Our personal injury attorneys can advise injured persons about their particular case and how Idaho’s legal principles of negligence, causation, and liability apply to it.
Notes: The information used to create this blog post comes primarily from the Idaho State Police News Releases. Information has not been independently verified by this firm. Please report any inaccuracies in this post to our firm. We will correct or remove the article, if asked.
Disclaimer: This blog is not intended as solicitation for professional employment to a specific person. It is intended as a legal news and advertisement post. The post does not constitute legal or medical advice.