Three hospitalized Wednesday in crash near Rathdrum

Three people were injured in a crash near Rathdrum Wednesday afternoon when a driver ran a stop sign on North Huetter Road.

Brandon M. Keith, 27, of Post Falls, drove through a stop sign at the intersection with West Lancaster Road and collided with a truck driven by Matthew D. Free, 45, of Rathdrum, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Free crashed into a power pole and was trapped inside his vehicle. It took emergency crews 30 minutes to pull him out of the wreckage.

Richard S. Powell, 46, of Coeur d’Alene was a passenger in Keith’s vehicle. He was ejected and is in critical condition at Kootenai Health, the release said.

Keith was treated and released at the hospital. Free was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, the release said.

A small amount of marijuana was found in Keith’s car, but that does not appear to be a factor in the crash, the release said.