Fremont County deputy airlifted to EIRMC after being struck by vehicle
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ST. ANTHONY — A Fremont County Sheriff’s deputy was seriously injured after a vehicle smashed into investigating officers during a four-vehicle crash on eastbound U.S. Highway 20 at milepost 405.
Idaho State Police report two Fremont County deputies were investigating a vehicle versus a deer crash at the Howard Springs turnout and were assisting a tow company with loading the damaged vehicle onto their tow truck.
Jacob Laird, age 27, of Boise, Idaho, was traveling eastbound in a 2008 Subaru Tribeca. As Laird’s vehicle approached the original crash scene the Fremont County deputies were investigating, Laird lost control of his vehicle, and collided with one of the deputies’ vehicles, a 2012 Ford Expedition.
The Ford Expedition then struck a 2008 GMC Sierra parked on the left side of it. It also struck the other deputy’s vehicle, a 2012 Ford Expedition, parked on the right side of it. The deputies’ vehicles and the GMC Sierra were all unoccupied at the time of the crash.
Rance Dye, age 39, of Island Park, Idaho, the driver of the GMC Sierra, and one of the Fremont County Sheriff’s deputies were standing outside of their vehicles and were injured when struck by the Ford Expedition.
Both Dye and the Fremont County deputy were transported by air ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. A juvenile passenger also standing outside of the vehicle was transported by ground ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.
The crash is under investigation by Idaho State Police.