Burning Camper Causes 5-Car Collision On U.S. 95

A fire in a camper shell sent black smoke billowing across U.S. Highway 95 Wednesday morning, obscuring visibility and causing a five-car collision north of the Louisiana-Pacific Corp. sawmill at Chilco.

Idaho State Police said there were no serious injuries.

Vernon Sayer, a Sheridan, Wyo., resident, was driving his Dodge pickup southbound near mile marker 442 at about 9 a.m. as smoke from a fire in his camper slowed traffic on the highway, police said. Sayer said later he was unaware of the fire.

An Isuzu Trooper driven by Susan Burke, 36, of Athol, Idaho, was sideswiped by a Toyota Corolla driven by Olof T. Anderson, 55, Sandpoint, police said. Both vehicles were southbound.

Burke’s vehicle then was rear-ended by a Buick Regal driven by Alvin L. McKnight of Sagle, Idaho, police said. McKnight’s vehicle was pushed into the left lane, where it sideswiped a Subaru driven by Barbara J. Farwell, 40, Sagle. Farwell’s vehicle then was sideswiped a second time by a 1991 Toyota pickup driven by Sara K. Buck, 21, Sandpoint, police said.

McKnight and Farwell were taken to Kootenai Medical Center, where they were treated and released.

Sayer’s camper shell had been removed from the pickup and still was in flames on the west side of the highway south of the accident scene at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

, DataTimes