Student’s fatal crash saddens classmates
Ryan Powell’s former locker stands out among hundreds of others lining the hallways of Post Falls High School.
Powell, 15, died Wednesday after a dirt bike accident along the railroad right-of-way between Corbin and Pleasantview roads on the Rathdrum Prairie. He was discovered by a friend Tuesday night and taken to Kootenai Medical Center.
A well-known sophomore, his presence remains through tributes on his locker, now feathered with poems, notes, goodbyes and a pair of white roses.
Similar writings are posted across from room 203 – a makeshift crisis hub to help students cope.
One inscription reads; “Remember the time when you didn’t smile? ‘Cause I don’t.”
Powell is still smiling back at fellow students, if only through yearbook photos taped to T-shirts of friends and teammates.
The cause of the accident is unknown, but Kootenai County sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger said tire tracks indicated Powell lost control of his 2004 Honda 400XR, a powerful dirt bike. The bike was in fifth gear, indicating speed at 45 to 60 miles per hour, he said. No alcohol or drug use is suspected.
“It’s not uncommon for kids, pre-license, to be out on the railroad right of way,” Wolfinger said, adding the county has no laws prohibiting unlicensed dirt bike use off public roadways.
Wolfinger said Powell’s helmet was shattered in the accident and he was on life support overnight.
“He’s just missed so much already,” said Jolene Booher, 16. “It hit everybody like a ton of bricks.”
Bronson Trevino sat beside Powell in his English class and quickly became friends. Trevino said the intercom announcement took awhile to register, but when it did, it came hard and fast.
“I cried. I was bawling,” he said.
Hallways fell silent as students left for home Wednesday, he said.
By Thursday afternoon, room 203 turned into a gathering place for fund-raising efforts to help the family. Two full gallon jars of change were collected before school got out Thursday, and a $500 donation for a memorial scholarship was donated by the World of Art Gallery in Post Falls, where Powell worked.
“He was a kid worthy of a lot of recognition,” said his wrestling coach and history teacher, Dennis Amende. “He just did things that were memorable.”
“Like getting suplexed four times and winning,” said Jim Beck, a senior on the wrestling team.
Powell became a regional champion and two-time state qualifier this year, bringing home a fourth place state trophy. He also earned a dozen special “Black Heart” recognitions from coaches.
Post Falls Superintendent Jerry Keane remembers watching Powell compete at school wrestling matches. He said several students and teammates visited him during his final hours at KMC.
“It’s a tragic event,” Keane said.
The family is planning a funeral Monday afternoon at English Funeral Chapel and Crematory in Post Falls.
Powell’s father, Phil Lott, said he was thankful for Ryan’s friends and the comfort they’ve brought to the family.
“He was just beautiful and perfect to me,” Lott said. “I think that’s why he got to leave.
“Because he was perfect and beautiful.”