There were a few broken bones, lacerations and bruises, but no serious injuries when a car collided with a Mountain Rides Transportation Authority commuter van early Friday evening at Timmerman Junction south of Bellevue.
"We got out of it very lucky, considering how it could have been," Mountain Rides Executive Director Jason Miller said. "Considering the situation, we feel pretty lucky because it had the potential to be deadly."
Fifteen people were involved in the crash, 10 in the van and five in the car. The Blaine County Sheriff's Office reported that two van occupants were transported by Wood River Fire and Rescue ambulance to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center.
Sheriff's Capt. Ed Fuller identified the men transported as Jose Orozco-Cisneros, a 39-year-old Jerome man, and Francisco Laguna, 40, of Gooding.
The accident occurred shortly after 7 p.m. According to the sheriff's office, a tan Honda CRV driven by Jae Choan Ryu, 44, of Lake Oswego, Ore., was westbound on U.S. Highway 20. Fuller said witnesses reported that Ryu stopped at the flashing red light but then pulled onto state Highway 75 striking the southbound van, driven by Antonio Orozco-Martinez, 61, of Jerome. The van rolled and ended up on its right side.
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"He (Ryu) indicated he didn't see the van," Fuller said.
All 15 of the people in the crash were reportedly wearing seatbelts.
"At this point there have been no citations issued," Fuller said, adding that the accident is still being investigated.
The van was one of five being used this summer to daily transport Webb Landscape workers from the Magic Valley to the Wood River Valley. Mountain Rides purchased the vans in 2008 after an agreement was reached with Webb Landscape for long-term use of the service.
Miller said the van, a Ford Econoline, was a total loss, but a substitute van has been put into service for the workers.
"We've got to look pretty quickly to replace it," Miller said.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com