Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Father, son killed in car accident

Second deadly crash in a week on U.S. 93


By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

A second car accident in a week on U.S. Highway 93 between Carey and Craters of the Moon National Monument claimed two more lives Saturday night.

According to police, two cars traveling in opposite directions collided near milepost 216, resulting in a 1,000-foot-long crash scene and killing one driver, Francisco Rojas-Ramos, 37, of Shoshone, and his 9-year old son, Julian Rojas.

Rojas-Ramos was travelling with his wife and five children in a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban. The had attended a church retreat and were heading to another function out of the Wood River Valley at the time of the accident.

Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling said Rojas-Ramos made an evasive maneuver to avoid a head-on collision with a 2000 Chevrolet Blazer traveling toward Carey that had crossed the center line of the highway into the east-bound lane after coming out of a curve in the highway. The Blazer was driven by Cheryl Wise, 34, of Twin Falls, who was taken by helicopter to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where she was still in critical condition Tuesday.

"The Blazer came head-on," Femling said, adding that the impact with the passenger door put the Suburban into a spin, causing it to roll twice. "It ejects Julian (Rojas) and comes to rest on its top."

Both vehicles crashed into the lava beds on the side of the highway. Coroner Russ Mikel said Rojas-Ramos and his son both died from head trauma.

The child was found in the middle of the roadway where he died in his mother's arms, according to a friend of the family. The mother, Dolores Rojas, and her other children, Francisco, Javier, Fabien and Elizabeth, were all transported to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center, where they were treated for minor injuries and released on Sunday.

"This investigation is only starting," Femling said. "We will be providing statements later this week concerning this accident."

Femling declined to speculate on the cause of the accident, but said that he was taking the investigation very seriously and that three investigators were working full time on the case.

"The accident doesn't make a lot of sense to us right now," he said. "We're doing a full-court press in this investigation."

Femling said a fatal accident that killed two drivers Wednesday, July 20, also is still under investigation. The separate accident scenes are about two miles apart.

Femling said investigators were trying Tuesday to arrange an interview with Wise through her attorney in Boise.

Church services for Francisco Rojas-Ramos, and his son, Julian will be held 3 p.m. Thursday, July 28, at Saint Charles Catholic Church in Hailey.

An obituary appears on Page A25 of this weeks Idaho Mountain Express.




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