Three Blaine County residents were injured and transported to St. Luke’s Wood River hospital following a single-vehicle rollover late Sunday night in Quigley Canyon east of Hailey.
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as the driver, Carlos J. Hurtado Vega, 15, of Ketchum, and passengers Lusi Baeza, 18, and Elizabeth Baeza, 17, both of Hailey. According to a Sheriff’s Office report, the three suffered various lacerations and back and neck injuries. A condition report was not available from St. Luke’s by press deadline Tuesday. However, the Sheriff’s Office reported that none of the injuries appeared life-threatening.
Transport to the hospital was made by ambulances from both Wood River Fire and Rescue and the Ketchum Fire Department.
A report compiled by Deputy Bradley Mecham states that the accident occurred at about 10:45 p.m., when Vega, driving westbound in a green 1991 Jeep Cherokee, lost control of the vehicle and it rolled.
“I asked Carlos to explain what happened,” Mecham wrote. “Carlos said they were westbound coming from Quigley Canyon going to Hailey. As Carlos approached the area near the beaver ponds, he was traveling too fast for conditions and started to fish tail. Carlos overcorrected and went off the south shoulder of the road where he overcorrected again, causing the vehicle to roll onto the driver’s side.
Mecham reported that the vehicle rolled one and a half times and came to rest on its roof. He wrote that Vega and Lusi Baeza were wearing seat belts but that Elizabeth Baeza was not.
Mecham further reported that Vega was issued a citation charging him with driving too fast for conditions.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com