Six people are dead and 10 others are injured following a car crash on an Idaho highway involving a passenger van.
On Saturday, May 18, at 5:29 a.m., an eastbound pickup truck on U.S. Highway 20 “was driven left of center” before colliding with a passenger van headed westbound, Idaho State Police confirmed in a release.
The van’s driver and five passengers died at the scene, according to authorities, while the pickup truck driver was transported to a local hospital. Nine other van passengers were transported to a local hospital as well, per police.
The crash took place near the Lindsay Boulevard exit in Idaho Falls.
“Idaho State Police was assisted by the Idaho Falls Police Department, Idaho Transportation Department, and the Idaho Falls Fire Department,” a police statement read.
“Both lanes were blocked for approximately five and half hours with the westbound lane blocked an additional hour while crews worked to continue the investigation and clear the scene,” the statement added. “This crash is still under investigation by the Idaho State Police.”
The pickup truck was a Ram while the passenger van was a Chevrolet vehicle, per the police release.
Images from the scene, shared by East Idaho News, show the van flipped on its side with back doors busted open and other obvious damage apparently resulting from the crash. Other photos shared by local network KIFI show the van’s front smooshed with a shattered windshield.
The truck appeared to be resting several feet away from the van, and its windshield was also shattered with a crushed hood. Debris could be seen scattered around the scene in the outlet’s photos.
The crash comes just a week after a May 11 crash in Pasadena, Calif., that killed three people after a Tesla carrying six people ran through a red light before hitting a curb and flying into a power pole, per multiple reports at the time.
The driver of the vehicle and two passengers died, as three people were ejected from the car, according to reports. NBC News noted, according to police, that the 22-year-old driver was going at least double the 35 mph speed limit. The Los Angeles Times added that all six people involved in the accident were between 17 and 22 years old and that the Tesla Model 3 was traveling westbound on Foothill Boulevard before it hit an unoccupied building.
“Very tragic accident any day but especially on Mother’s Day weekend, graduation, and prom season with so many reasons to celebrate so many families will be mourning. Especially hard on our first responders to see the devastation and lives lost,” City of Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian told PEOPLE of the crash.
