Man arrested after September motorcycle crash that severely injured 19-year-old

IDAHO FALLS — A 54-year-old man is facing felony charges after he allegedly caused a severe motorcycle crash in September.

Leland Eaton is charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence.

On Sept. 12, around 10:55 p.m., Idaho Falls Police officers were dispatched to the area of Washington Parkway and East Sunnyside Road after reports of a two-vehicle crash with injuries.

According to court documents, when officers arrived, they found the riders of the two motorcycles being loaded into ambulances to be taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

Both riders had life-threatening injuries.

The crash

Officers found one of the vehicles, a red and black motorcycle, lying on its side after it skidded off the roadway, hit two trees and was ripped in two.

“The front tube shocks and front wheel were just south of the tree, and the rear end of his motorcycle was approximately 15 feet north of the tree,” according to court documents.

The rider’s helmet was found another 100 feet on the north sidewalk of East Sunnyside Road, near a pool of blood.

Another motorcycle was found 400 feet from the crash site, on the south sidewalk of East Sunnyside Road, still on its wheels.

Officers spoke to a nurse on scene, who said one of the riders “admitted he had drunk some alcoholic beverages earlier in the evening.”

One witness told police she was driving west on East Sunnyside Road when she saw a red and black motorcycle that appeared to be driving over 80 mph in a 40 mph zone.

The witness said the motorcycle “unsafely made a lane change,” nearly hitting her and another car. The motorcycle continued to speed by with “a lot of sparks flying.”

Another witness told police the red and black motorcycle rear-ended another motorcycle, causing both riders to fall off their bikes.

Hospital interviews

Officers spoke with the rider of the motorcycle that was rear-ended while he was at EIRMC.

The 19-year-old victim said he was driving west on East Sunnyside Road at a speed of about 40 mph when he heard and then saw the red and black motorcycle in his rearview mirror, right before it hit him, knocking him off his motorcycle.

The victim reportedly suffered a broken right femur, broken tibia and fibula in his right leg, a broken right foot, road rash, and possibly torn ligaments and muscles. He needed surgery to fix broken bones, and rods, plates and screws were inserted into his right leg.

Officers identified the rider of the red and black motorcycle to be Eaton and contacted him at EIRMC.

Eaton suffered “an impalement injury in his back, which was approximately 2 inches round and went through the majority of the width of his body” in the crash, along with a ruptured spleen, damaged lung, several broken ribs, a shattered pelvis and a possibly broken spine.

Eaton allegedly told officers that he was at fault and had rear-ended the other motorcycle. Police reports say that Eaton claimed he had just turned right from Channing Way onto Westbound East Sunnyside Road and didn’t see the other motorcycle. He also reportedly claimed he was only driving around 40 mph.

When asked if he made any lane changes after turning onto East Sunnyside Road, Eaton said no. He also stated he did not remember driving between cars or speeding. When asked if he had drunk any alcohol before driving, Eaton told officers he had “one Coors Light can of beer when he got off work” around 5 p.m., police said.

Blood tests and arrest

Eaton consented to a blood draw, from which his blood alcohol level later came back at 0.064. The legal limit is 0.08. Results also showed that Eaton had 22.24 nanograms per milliliter of THC and 0.63 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl in his system.

Officers later discovered that Eaton had received eight speeding tickets from 2003 to 2017.

Eaton was arrested on Dec. 4 and booked into the Bonneville County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He later posted bail and was released on Dec. 5. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 26. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

Though Eaton has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.