In brief: Idaho man dies when vehicle leaves road
An Idaho man died in a single-vehicle accident near Kooskia, Idaho, early Saturday.
Idaho State Police said alcohol was a factor in the accident that killed James R. Oats, 20, of Kamiah, Idaho.
Two other men were injured when the 1993 Toyota 4Runner they were in skidded at a corner and rolled down an embankment off Harris Ridge Road near the junction with U.S. Highway 12.
Idaho State Police said it was unclear who was driving the vehicle.
Pickup hits boy, 9, in downtown Spokane
A boy was taken to a hospital Saturday night after being struck by a pickup truck in the intersection of Sprague Avenue and Lincoln Street in downtown Spokane.
Witness Cindy Curtis said she and her husband were crossing Sprague around 7 p.m. when she heard the northbound vehicle strike the boy and saw him thrown across the intersection. Curtis, a nurse, attended the boy until paramedics arrived. The boy told her he was 9 years old “and scared,” Curtis said.
Witnesses said the boy crossed the intersection against a red light and the driver of the pickup was not driving recklessly. Witnesses said the boy was with a group of people dressed in traditional Indian regalia handing out fliers for Coyote and Friends, a performance at the nearby Bing Crosby Theater sponsored by the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture’s American Indian Cultural Council.
Pair treated, released after 4-vehicle crash
Two people were hospitalized after a four-vehicle crash in Coeur d’Alene about noon on Friday.
Idaho State Police said Rick Johnson, 55, of Hayden, was driving west on Hayden Avenue when he lost control of his 1992 Chevrolet pickup and struck William Dodd’s 2008 Dodge truck. Johnson continued driving and entered the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 95 and hit Barbara Adams’ Toyota Camry. Adams, in turn, collided with Rick Hardy’s Chevy pickup.
Adams, 78, of Hayden, and Johnson were treated at Kootenai Medical Center and released. Dodd, 35, of Coeur d’Alene, and Hardy, 53, of Boise, were not injured.
Wind causes skydiver to miss target, crash
MISSOULA – A skydiver attempting to land in Washington-Grizzly Stadium as part of festivities before a college football game suffered serious injuries Saturday after he was blown off target and hit a tree, then fell to a cement sidewalk just outside the stadium.
Blaine Wright of Silvertip Skydivers was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with injuries that include a fractured pelvis.
Witnesses told the Missoulian newspaper that Wright was knocked unconscious but was talking with paramedics before being immobilized on a backboard and put in an ambulance.
Paramedics also checked a girl who was knocked over.
Seattle viaduct open ahead of schedule
SEATTLE – The Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle has reopened to traffic after demolition crews finished work ahead of schedule.
Washington Transportation Department spokesman Travis Phelps said all operational lanes opened around 12:45 p.m. Saturday.
Officials said a new, slower 40 mph speed limit is in effect on much of the viaduct.
Last week’s viaduct work is part of a $3.1 billion project to replace the aging, elevated section of Highway 99 with a tunnel under downtown Seattle.
Leap on soccer player trips up suspect
HELENA – Authorities in Montana say a man dubbed the Piggyback Bandit because of a history of jumping on the backs of high school athletes in Oregon and Washington state has been arrested in Helena.
Helena Police Chief Troy McGee said police received a tip that 28-year-old Sherwin Shayegan was at a high school boys soccer tournament on Friday and observed him jump on a player’s back.
Police took Shayegan into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor assault.
Last spring the Oregon School Activities Association warned athletes to look out for Shayegan after he turned up at events in Eugene and Pendleton and got piggyback rides from some athletes.
Police in Bonney Lake, Wash., say Shayegan gave a high school athlete money and jumped on his back.