Crash on I-15 Thursday morning kills Pocatello man, blocks freeway for hours
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POCATELLO — A 69-year-old man died Thursday morning after his vehicle collided with a semitruck on Interstate 15, according to Idaho State Police.
The crash, which occurred shortly after 7 a.m. on southbound I-15 near mile marker 69, forced the closure of all southbound lanes on the freeway for several hours.
In a news release, ISP said the 69-year-old man, from Pocatello, was northbound on I-15 in a 2002 Nissan Altima when his vehicle “left the roadway, crossed through the median, and collided with the (southbound) semitruck head-on.”
The driver of the Nissan was not wearing a seat belt, troopers said, and died at the crash scene. His identity has not been released.
The driver of the Freightliner semitruck involved, a 39-year-old man from Utah, was wearing a seat belt, ISP said. The news release did not say if the truck driver was injured.
Crews from the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue team, Pocatello police and fire departments, Chubbuck Police Department, and the Idaho Transportation Department responded to help with the crash.
All southbound lanes of I-15 were closed for approximately 4½ hours.
Idaho State Police are investigating.