Crash prompts responders to make changes

SANDPOINT – Officials in North Idaho say they are changing the way emergency responders communicate after there were delays in transporting victims of a deadly crash this month.

“There may have been a slight delay, but I don’t think the outcome would have been different,” Sagle Fire Chief Rob Goodyear said. “The patients ultimately were all transported with appropriate care given the nature of the injuries.”

One person died and three others were injured in the Dec. 3 head-on crash on U.S. Highway 95.

Emergency workers from Sagle, Timberlake and Sandpoint responded, as did crews from Bonner and Kootenai counties.

Two witnesses at the scene who rescued survivors from a burning SUV said the agencies disagreed over who should transport the patients, leading to a delay.

Jim Crosby Muskrat, a witness, said the delay was as long as 30 minutes for some patients.

“This was not handled properly; it just wasn’t,” he said. “I just hope this never happens to anybody else.”

Goodyear said initial responders were overwhelmed and that two incident commands were set up by mistake.

Bonner county EMS chief John Givens said that patients from the crash were taken to the Kootenai Medical Center within the “golden hour,” a critical time span that is key to saving lives.

“Patient care didn’t suffer,” Givens said.

Goodyear said a briefing after the crash found areas where emergency responders could do better, including using a statewide EMS frequency to help communications, clearer identification of who is in command, and creating a dedicated phone line linking Bonner and Kootenai dispatches.