WHITE BIRD — A two-vehicle head-on crash south of here on U.S. Highway 95 early Saturday afternoon sent two people to Idaho hospitals and sparked a vehicle fire that closed the roadway for almost two hours.
The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 12:31 p.m. of a collision on a corner of the curvy stretch of highway. According to the Idaho State Police, Farren L. Phillips, 30, of Lewiston, was northbound in a gray 2000 Toyota Camry, and Justin G. Beach, 48, of Weiser, was southbound in a red 1996 Ford F250 with a trailer attached.
Phillips had a juvenile passenger in the Toyota, and Beach had Staci M. Colas, 38, of Weiser, as a passenger in the Ford. The vehicles collided at milepost 218, about 6 miles south of White Bird, according to ISP. The collision caused a fire in one of the vehicles, which was fully engulfed at one point, according to the sheriff’s office.
Ground ambulance transported Phillips to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston and Colas to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. One lane of the roadway reopened at 2:10 p.m., according to ISP.
In addition to the state police and the sheriff’s office, Syringa Ambulance, Riggins Ambulance, the White Bird Quick Response Unit, Salmon River Rural Fire Department, White Bird Fire Department and a Grangeville Fire Department extrication team all responded to the scene.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
