Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Highway 75 crash claims Triumph man

4 others injured in accident


By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Timothy Lewis

A two-vehicle collision late Friday afternoon south of Timmerman Junction claimed the life of a 49-year-old Blaine County resident and sent four other people to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center for treatment.

Coroner Russell Mikel said that Timothy Lewis, who lived in the Triumph area in East Fork, died of "multiple trauma" sustained when his vehicle collided with a Mountain Rides Transportation Authority commuter van shortly before 5 p.m. on state Highway 75 about two and a half miles south of Timmerman Junction. Mikel said Lewis was ejected from his vehicle and was pronounced dead at about 5:45 p.m.

Four occupants of the van were taken by Wood River Fire & Rescue ambulance to the hospital. Mountain Rides Executive Director Jason Miller said all four were treated and released.

"There's some follow-up stuff with their doctors, but there was nothing that made them stay overnight," Miller said.

Two other occupants of the van were not injured and were taken to their homes in the Shoshone area by a backup van brought to the scene by Mountain Rides.

Wood River Fire & Rescue Chief Bart Lassman said all six of the van occupants were wearing their seatbelts. It is not known whether Lewis was wearing a seatbelt.

The Blaine County Sheriff's Office reported that the collision occurred when Lewis, northbound in a maroon 1982 Subaru station wagon, lost control of his vehicle. Sheriff's Capt. Ed Fuller said Lewis apparently drifted onto the right-hand shoulder of the highway, overcorrected and slid sideways, to be struck broadside by the southbound van, a yellow 2008 Ford Econoline driven by Mary Louise Morrison, 46, of Shoshone.

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Fuller said investigation has yet to reveal the speeds of the vehicles but the impact was sufficient to "cut the Subaru in half."

He said weather is not believed to have been a factor in the crash. Coroner Mikel reported that the roadway was wet but not snow- or ice-covered.

"We don't have all the data and we're still investigating to see if anything else was involved," Fuller said.

The Sheriff's Office identified the occupants of the van who were transported to the hospital as Daniel Wolverton, 49, of Shoshone, Leah Neubert, 48, of Shoshone, Paul Leguineche, 26, of Gooding, and Rene Brown, 42, of Richfield.

Miller said all six of the van occupants worked in either Ketchum or Hailey and commuted daily to their jobs from a pickup point in Shoshone.

"Our thoughts go out to all affected by this," Miller said.

To read an obituary for Lewis, click here.

Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com




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