Idaho Man Drowns In Truck Accident

A Potlatch, Idaho, man died after his truck veered off State Highway 6 and into the Palouse River.

Investigators said alcohol was involved.

James R. Thompson, 51, drowned after his truck sank around 2 a.m. Saturday. No one else was hurt.

Thompson’s truck crashed through a barbed wire fence, rolled 100 yards through a field and went off the bank and into the river’s 38-degree water.

The Latah County sheriff’s office responded along with the county’s search and rescue team. Divers from Spokane and Benewah counties showed up. So did teams from Potlatch Ambulance and the Idaho State Police.

Rescuers tried to attach a tow hook to the truck, but couldn’t because of murky water and a swift current. A log loader had to be brought in to remove the truck from the 12 feet of water. , DataTimes