Elk collision contributes to critical
accident
12-year-old at wheel of one vehicle
"They responded quickly. They
extricated Barbara (Zavala). They just treated everybody with incredible care.
It was a horrendous accident. I actually believe they’re the reason people are
still alive. I can’t say enough about them. Those guys did a super job."
— BOB BINGHAM, Idaho State Police
Cpl.
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
A 15-year-old girl was listed in critical
condition Monday following a two-vehicle collision that began when a 12-year-old
driver collided with an elk on Highway 75 Friday night north of Hailey.
Christina Zavala, the woman who allegedly
allowed the boy to drive a vehicle, could face charges, said Idaho State Police
Cpl. Bob Bingham. The underage driver will also face charges for driving without
privileges.
On Monday afternoon, Bingham said he had
not yet done a follow-up interview with Zavala about the accident. He was
unclear about her age or relationship to those involved in the accident.
According to Blaine County Sheriff Walt
Femling, the accident occurred while the 12-year-old was driving south,
following Zavala on Highway 75 in Zavala’s 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe. At about 10:50
p.m., just south of the highway’s intersection with Deer Creek Road, the
12-year-old hit the elk.
The vehicle’s air bags deployed, and the
young driver lost control, Femling said.
The Tahoe slid into the north-bound lane,
where it was struck in the passenger side by a 1993 Chevrolet Blazer driven by
John T. Loughran, 42, of Ketchum.
Barbara Zavala, 15, of Shoshone, who
apparently is related to Christina Zavala, was riding with the 12-year-old
driver. The passenger-side door where Barbara Zavala was sitting received the
brunt of the impact, Bingham said.
All three victims were flown to St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. By Tuesday afternoon, Loughran and
the 12-year-old had been released. Barbara Zavala was still there, but her
parents had asked that her condition not be released. On Monday morning, she had
been listed in critical condition, Femling said.
Bingham said he was not sure what the
relationships were between Barbara and Christina Zavala and the 12-year-old.
"Best I can tell, they’re friends," he
said.
Loughran’s rottweiler, Apollo, was shaken
up but relatively unharmed in the accident. The elk was killed on impact.
Loughran was the only person involved who
was wearing a seat belt, Bingham said. According to Bingham’s report, a pipe and
"green leafy substance with stems resembling that of marijuana" were discovered
on the floor and in the console of Loughran’s Blazer.
According to Bingham, who said he also
teaches driver’s education classes in Fairfield, the 12-year-old had permission
from Christina Zavala to drive the vehicle and follow her to Hailey. He said the
young driver’s inexperience "absolutely" contributed to the accident.
Bingham also said Blaine County’s
emergency crews did a superb job responding to the accident.
"They responded quickly. They extricated
Barbara (Zavala). They just treated everybody with incredible care," he said.
"It was a horrendous accident. I actually believe they’re the reason people are
still alive. I can’t say enough about them. Those guys did a super job."
Though driver inexperience is believed to
be the primary contributor to the accident, the Deer Creek area is a hot spot
for accidents involving deer and elk this fall.
But Femling said deer are the norm on
Blaine County’s highways. Drivers would do well to keep their eyes peeled.
"We have several hot bed areas where a lot
of deer and elk are hit throughout the county," he said. "We’ve always had a lot
of deer on the highways in this valley."