Man dies after truck crashes

A 49-year-old Newport, Wash., man died early Sunday when he was ejected from his pickup truck after driving off the shoulder and rolling, the Idaho State Police said.

Santiago James Moreno was driving his Ford Ranger east on Blanchard Elk Road west of Blanchard, Idaho, about 2:30 a.m. at a high speed when he drifted off the south shoulder of the road. Moreno overcorrected, causing the Ranger to roll numerous times, the report stated. Moreno, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.

Alcohol was involved in the accident, the ISP said.

This is the fourth death tied to alleged drunken-driving accidents in North Idaho since Friday.

A 2-month-old, Lyssa Saunders, remained in critical condition Sunday at Sacred Heart Medical Center after an allegedly drunken driver killed her parents and 2-year-old sister Friday morning.

The Bonners Ferry infant lost her mother, Tabitha C. Saunders, 21, and her sister, Kjestine Saunders, in the accident. Her father, Bart D. Barton, 24, also was killed. Barton was home on a two-week leave from the U.S. Army.

Luke A. Peterson, 26, was driving a Dodge Quad-Cab pickup south on Highway 95 when he went into the northbound lane and hit the family’s Plymouth Neon head-on about 3:19 a.m., according to the ISP.

The Naples man faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter and one count of aggravated DUI, punishable by up to life in prison. His bail is set at $1 million.