Driver pleads not guilty in fatal wrong-way crash on I-90

A woman accused of causing a fatal crash while driving the wrong way on Interstate 90 pleaded not guilty in court Thursday.

Christine M. Cann, 57, was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter after a head-on collision that killed Spokane Valley resident Jeremy Scherer on Sept. 11, the Coeur d’Alene Press reported.

Cann could face to up to 15 years in prison.

Police said Cann was driving west in the eastbound lanes of I-90 around 12:30 p.m. when her 2020 Toyota RAV4 hit Scherer’s Chevy Sonic. The collision caused Scherer’s car to spin sideways, where he was struck on his driver’s side by another vehicle, Idaho State Police reported.

Scherer died of his injuries.

Cann allegedly told police at the scene that she “had a rum” at 6 a.m. after spending the night at a friend’s house.

Dash cam footage released in September shows a gray SUV traveling the wrong way on the eastbound interstate before the crash. Several drivers are seen swerving to miss the SUV.

Cann has no previous criminal record. She was released from jail in September on $75,000 bail. A trial date has not been set.