Low visibility leads to 40-car crash on Idaho highway
Jan. 8, 2022 Updated Sat., Jan. 8, 2022 at 1:35 p.m.
ISLAND PARK, Idaho — Idaho State Police say roughly 40 vehicles were involved in a crash on an eastern Idaho highway after severe winter weather caused white-out conditions, but only minor injuries were reported.
The Idaho State Police said in a prepared statement that the crash occurred about 3 p.m. Friday just north of Island Park on U.S. Highway 20. Low visibility had cloaked the road when a semi-truck collided with a passenger car that was stopped in the eastbound lane. Several more crashes occurred behind the semi-truck, ultimately involving about 40 vehicles.
Eight different agencies from Idaho and Montana responded to the crash, and several tow companies helped with removing the vehicles.
Both U.S. Highway 20 and Idaho State Highway 87 were closed from Island Park to the Montana state line for several hours, but the roads had reopened by Saturday morning.
Local journalism is essential.
Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds.
Subscribe now to get breaking news alerts in your email inbox
Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens.
