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Copyright © 2003 Express Publishing Inc.
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For the week of October 22 - 28, 2003

News

Head-on collision kills two Hailey men

Three Washington men injured


By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

Returning from a hunting excursion, three Washington men traveling in a 1996 Chevrolet pickup truck pulling a trailer with four horses were hospitalized after a head-on collision on Highway 75 between Bellevue and Hailey Saturday, Oct. 18, with a 1970 Chevrolet Impala, said Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling. The accident occurred at about 8:44 p.m.

The two men traveling in the Impala, Wayne Michael Rahn, 24, and Gumecindo Egoavil Macha, 43, both Hailey residents, were killed in the impact, Femling said. Rahn was the driver.

"They were traveling at a high rate of speed," Femling said. "They were traveling northbound and crossed the center line into the southbound lane, hitting the (pickup) head-on."

The accident is being investigated as alcohol related since it was found at the scene, Femling said.

The hospitalized men from Duvall, Wash., are the pickup driver Clint Russell, 21, and two passengers, Russell’s younger brother Danny, 18, and Clint Kendall, 19.

Kendall was first taken to St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center and later flown via Lifeflight to St. Alphonse Regional Medical Center in Boise, where he is in fair condition, Femling said.

Clint Russell was flown directly from the scene to St. Alphonse after emergency crews worked for nearly an hour to extricate him with the "Jaws of Life." He sustained facial injuries, two broken legs, a broken back and ankle, Femling said. He is in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Danny Russell was taken to St. Luke’s where he was treated and released, Femling said.

The truck had rolled on to its side from the impact of the collision and the horse trailer in tow separated from the truck.

"The highway was closed for a few hours," Femling said. "There was a dead animal. It was a mess." The other three horses were injured in the accident.

A third car, a Chevrolet Malibu driven by Benito Chavez Hurtado, 21, was also involved in the accident after it ran into the horse trailer. Hurtado was unhurt, Femling said.

Blaine County Sheriff’s Department recently purchased a computerized laser-measuring device because of the number of accidents that have occurred this year. Femling said the $10,000 instrument helps police do their measurements and other investigation tasks more efficiently, which enables them to clear the highway more quickly.

A Mass of Christian burial for Rahn, formerly of Thief River Falls, Minn., will be held Thursday, Oct. 23 at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Thief River Falls.

Egoavil, who originally came to the United States from Peru as a shepherd for a Wyoming ranching company, had stayed in Idaho working in construction upon completing his shepherding contract. He is survived by his wife, Olimpia Casas and his four daughters Beatriz, 22, Elita Liz, 17, Liz Elita, 15, and Cesy Cecilia, 11, as well as his parents and various brothers and sisters, who live in Chakikocha, Peru, where he was born.


Obituaries for Rahn and Egoavil are on page A23 of the printed edition of the October 22, 2003 Idaho Mountain Express.

 

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