Updated: CdA accessibility advocate dies in ATV crash
A Coeur d’Alene man and a Lewiston woman were killed Sunday when the all-terrain vehicle they were riding went over a cliff at Bernard Overlook on the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille east of Athol.
Killed were Thomas W. McTevia, 42, the ATV driver, and his passenger, Tina A. Hoisington, 45. Neither was wearing a helmet, and both died at the scene, the Idaho State Police said.
The ATV went down a 500-foot embankment in Bonner County just east of Farragut State Park, police said. More here.
Scott Maben asked Becky Mumford, the records supervisor at the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, to share her thoughts on her good friend Tom McTevia. Here is what she wrote:
"How do you put the value of friendship in words? You cannot. When I met Tom McTevia as a volunteer at the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, it was a very brief encounter. He soon learned that my husband and I were both in law enforcement and the friendship between us was formed. He was taken in by our circle of friends and we have spent many evenings laughing about them and their boot camp experiences, POST Academy, hunting and camping trips, etc.
Tom was an active person who enjoyed the outdoors spending many hours on his UTV, hand cycle and kayak. He also enjoyed photography and sketching . He was active on the trails foundation and recently was interviewed about the new ADA trail on the east side of Tubbs Hill in Coeur d’Alene. He was a wonderful voice for those of the wheelchair bound community and spoke at many city council meetings.
His love for adventure and the outdoors was incredible, he was somewhat new to the northern part of the state, but was soon pointing out mountain peaks and points of interest on ATV/UTV rides. He and his son even took our son camping with them. He was someone you could trust with life’s most precious treasure, your child.
His famous saying was “I’m not disabled, I’m slightly inconvenienced.” Tom did not let his “disability” hold him back, he was more active than most able-bodied people I know.
He was more than a volunteer, he was a friend.
I think Tom summed it up best in the article written about him in Live Well CDA, “You can’t live life in fear of what might happen,” “You have to get out and enjoy the gift you’ve been given”.
