A fatal accident on U.S. Highway 20 near Idaho Falls, Idaho resulted in six fatalities and injured 10 others. The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday morning, May 18, 2024, when an eastbound pickup truck crossed into the opposite lane, resulting in a head-on collision with a westbound passenger van.
The van’s driver and five of its passengers were declared dead at the scene, according to Idaho State Police. The driver of the pickup truck and nine other occupants of the van were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Officials were alerted about the accident near the Lindsay Boulevard exit at 5:29 a.m. On arrival, the scene revealed a toppled van with its rear doors broken open and severe front-end damage. A few feet away, a Ram pickup truck sat with a shattered windshield and a crushed hood. Debris from the collision was scattered across the highway.
Emergency response units, including the Idaho Falls Police Department, Idaho Transportation Department, and Idaho Falls Fire Department, responded swiftly to the accident. The highway was temporarily blocked for roughly five and a half hours, with the westbound lane remaining closed for another hour as crews worked on clearing the debris and furthering the investigation.
The six victims, all from Mexico, have been identified by the Bonneville County coroner as Abel Mejía Martínez, 43, Pedro Manuel Alcantar Mejía, 26, Brandon Ponce Gallegos, 24, Jose Guadalupe Sánchez Medina, 20, Luis Enrique Sereno Perez, 32, and Javier Gomez Alcantar, 36. An investigation by the Idaho State Police is ongoing, focusing on understanding why the pickup truck deviated from its lane.
Authorities are urging motorists to exercise extra caution, particularly during the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This period is often referred to as the “100 deadliest days” due to the high frequency of road accidents during the summer travel season.
The aftermath of this tragic incident will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the affected families and the larger Idaho Falls community. The focus now is on heightening awareness and implementing preventive measures to lower the occurrence of such accidents in the future.
