Traffic on US 20 came to a stop after a two-vehicle collision on Thursday, July 24th, in Idaho Falls. The accident occurred just before 5:30 p.m. at mile marker 308.
At the time of the accident, traffic headed westbound had slowed significantly. A 2015 Ford Transit Van was at the end of the line, when a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville came upon the traffic and failed to stop. The Pontiac struck the back of the Ford, injuring both drivers.
The driver of the Van, a 35-year-old woman from Tetonia, sustained minor injuries but was not taken to a hospital. The 57-year-old driver of the Pontiac was transported to a local hospital by ground ambulance after sustaining serious injuries. Westbound traffic remained at a standstill for another hour and a half following this collision.
We are sorry to hear about this accident. We send well wishes to both injured individuals and hope they will both make a full and speedy recovery.
Unfortunately, according to Idaho Transportation Department’s crash report in 2023, 17% of all motor vehicle crashes were related to or caused by distracted driving. Of that 17%, 48 people were killed because of these accidents. Idaho Department of Transportation says that of these crashes, “failing to yield” is the largest contributing cause. 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.