Five die in crashes over the weekend

Mon., June 27, 2016

By Scott Maben scottm@spokesman.com (509) 459-5528

Four Inland Northwest residents and a Florida man died in four crashes over the weekend:

Robert L. Gust, 24, of Bonners Ferry, died Sunday about 12:50 a.m. when he lost control of his speeding car and it rolled on an Interstate 90 off-ramp to state Highway 41 in Post Falls. Passenger Christopher J. Erickson, 25, of DeLand, Florida, also died of injuries from the crash, and passenger Colton B. Teleford, 23, of Moyie Springs, Idaho, was injured, the Idaho State Police said. Gust and Erickson were not wearing seat belts, police said.

Dalton Parrish, 26, of Spokane, died after a fiery car crash Saturday night in southeastern Idaho, the state police said. Parrish, who was not wearing a seat belt, lost control on U.S. Highway 89 near Fish Haven, Idaho, about 9:30 p.m. The car struck trees and caught fire. He died at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Thomas C. Schwartzenberger, 51, of Cheney, was killed Saturday afternoon in an ATV crash near Kingston, Idaho. He failed to negotiate a turn on Old River Road, and the ATV struck a tree, continued down a long embankment and struck another tree, the state police said. Passenger Kristi P. Hunnicutt, 60, of Silverton, Idaho, was injured. They were not wearing helmets, the ISP said.

Joseph B. Best, 17, of Coeur d’Alene, died Friday night in a one-car crash on I-90 east of Ritzville. The driver, Ivory J. Pellerin, 22, of Post Falls, lost control while attempting to pass a semi, the Washington State Patrol said. Best was not wearing a seat belt, police said.

Pilot found dead in plane wreck

A Spokane man was found dead in the wreckage of an airplane crash discovered Saturday in a forested area east of Coeur d’Alene. The man was the pilot and lone occupant of the plane, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said. His identity was withheld pending notifications. Federal authorities are assisting in the investigation.

Update: The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office has identified the pilot as Kenneth D. Chapman, 70, of Spokane. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

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