Man dies in one-car crash near Cataldo, Idaho

A North Idaho man died early this morning when the car he was driving crashed west of Cataldo, Idaho. Michael Sverdsten, 28, of Cataldo, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department. Sverdsten was driving a 2008 Saturn Aura an estimated 75-80 mph westbound on Canyon Road, near Hardy Loop, about 2:15 a.m. The posted speed limit there is 50 mph. The vehicle drifted off the north shoulder, and Sverdsten overcorrected and crossed the oncoming lane, striking a power pole on the south side of the road, the sheriff’s office said. The power pole was severed. Sverdsten was the only occupant of the vehicle.