Two vehicles traveling opposite directions on US 91 collided head on last Monday, February 3rd. The crash occurred just outside of Shelly Idaho at 7:34 a.m. at mile post 120.5. The three vehicles included a 2018 Ford Explorer, a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am, and a 2013 GMC Sierra.
The driver of the Ford, a 44-year-old woman from Shelly, was traveling north. The driver of the second vehicle, the Grand Am, was a 17-year-old woman from Idaho Falls, who was traveling south. As she drove, the Ford crossed the center line and collided directly with her vehicle. The Grand Am spun off the road and landed off the north shoulder, and the Ford landed in the southbound lanes, where it was struck by the third vehicle. This vehicle, the GMC Sierra, was driven by a 51-year-old man from Idaho Falls. He was traveling southbound when he witnessed the accident, and was unable to stop in time to avoid it.
The driver of the Ford and the driver of the Grand Am sustained substantial injuries and were transported to a local hospital. The driver of the GMC did not sustain any major injuries and remained at the scene. At the time of the accident, all three individuals were wearing safety restraints.
We hope that the injured individuals are able to make a full and speedy 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. Head on collisions were the largest contributing cause of multi-vehicle crashes in 2023. 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.