Fatigue Likely In Crash That Killed Woman, Son

Fatigue appears to have caused a four-truck accident on U.S. Highway 95 that killed a Bonners Ferry woman and her 2-year-old son and injured three others, the Idaho State Police said Friday.

Lynn and Vickie Sue Jantz were returning with their children Thursday from a camping trip at Farragut State Park when the family’s Ford F150 pickup crossed the center line south of Silverwood Theme Park.

The truck glanced off a semi-truck and slammed head-on into a Ford Ranger pickup driven by Linda Mycek, 43, of Libby, Mont. Both pickups then slid into a third pickup.

Vickie Sue Jantz, 28, and Layton Jantz died in the accident.

The condition of the couple’s 6-year-old daughter, Tyanne, was upgraded Friday to satisfactory, a Deaconess Medical Center spokeswoman said. Lynn Jantz and Mycek were both listed in fair condition at Kootenai Medical Center.

Two others involved in the accident were not injured.

A child car seat was found among the wreckage, but it was not clear if it was being used, said ISP Sgt. C.R. Kaffenberger. None of the Jantz family members appeared to have been wearing seat belts, he said.

Interviews with witnesses, victims and family members indicate Lynn Jantz may have fallen asleep, causing his truck to veer across the center line, Kaffenberger said. Officers have found no evidence that alcohol or mechanical failure played a role in the accident, he said.

Results of the accident investigation will be forwarded to the Kootenai County prosecutor’s office, standard procedure in a fatal accident, Kaffenberger said. No charges are expected to be filed.

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