Fremont Co. Sheriff’s Office coping after deputy hit by car while working
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ST. ANTHONY — A Fremont County sheriff’s deputy hit by a car on Highway 20 is expected to return to work soon.
Deputy Joe Powell and his partner, Deputy Howard Overton, were responding to a vehicle accident involving a deer near the turnout of Howard Springs in Island Park on Sunday night when another vehicle on lost control and crashed into them.
Investigators said Jacob Laird, 27, lost control of his Subaru Tribeca and hit the deputies’ Ford Expedition, which then struck Powell and Rance Dye, an Island Park resident who was helping the deputies in removing the dead deer.
“As the vehicle came, I had maybe a second or two to make a left or right decision,” Overton said in an interview with EastIdahoNews.com. “The vehicle was coming straight for me and I decided to jump to the right, which was toward the highway. The vehicle missed me by a few feet.”
Powell and Dye were both airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in serious condition. They are expected to make a full recovery.
Overton said the crash has taken a toll on the sheriff’s office.
“I’ve been on bad incidents before, but I’ve never really known who they were,” Overton said, “It is a little bit different when Mr. Dye is my friend, and Deputy Powell is my partner. It’s something that we are dealing with right now.”
Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries said he was proud of how his crew performed and that he was thankful for all who responded.
“It’s hit home because we are a pretty tight family here, and we know each other on a first-name basis,” Humphries said.