CASCADE, ID — Four people were taken to hospitals after a head-on collision Tuesday morning on Highway 55 north of Cascade, according to Idaho State Police.
The crash shut down the highway for about three and a half hours while emergency crews responded and investigators worked the scene. Police said a 24-year-old Cascade man driving a 2017 Chevy Malibu crossed into the southbound lanes and hit a 2017 Ford Escape.
The SUV was driven by a 76-year-old man from Olympia, Washington. A 73-year-old passenger was also inside the Escape when the vehicles collided.
Police say Malibu crossed into southbound lanes before impact
Idaho State Police said the Malibu was traveling northbound when it moved into the opposite lanes of travel. That left the sedan directly in the path of the oncoming Escape, triggering the head-on crash.
Investigators identified the Malibu driver as a 24-year-old man from Cascade. The Escape driver was a 76-year-old man from Olympia, Washington, and the passenger was a 73-year-old man.
No additional details were immediately released about why the Malibu crossed the center line. Police have not said whether the roadway, speed, distraction, or another factor played a role.
Two victims were driven by ambulance, two were airlifted
The driver of the Escape and his passenger were transported by ambulance to a local hospital, police said. Both men were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
The Malibu driver and his 24-year-old male passenger were airlifted to the hospital. Police said neither man was wearing a seatbelt.
Officials did not release information on the severity of the injuries, but the split response shows the crash sent patients to care by both ground and air. The different transport methods also underline how serious the collision was.
Highway 55 closed for hours as multiple agencies responded
Highway 55 remained closed for roughly three and a half hours after the wreck. That stretch of time suggests crews needed to clear the vehicles, treat the injured, and secure the scene before traffic could resume.
Several agencies responded, including the Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho Department of Transportation, Life Flight Network, Air St. Luke’s, Cascade Fire & EMS, and Donnelly Fire & EMS.
The list of responders included both air medical crews and local fire and law-enforcement agencies, a sign that the crash required a coordinated emergency response along a major mountain highway.
Seatbelt use differed sharply between the two vehicles
Seatbelt use was one of the few safety details police released. The two people in the Ford Escape were both buckled in, while the two people in the Malibu were not.
That difference may matter in the injuries and transport decisions that followed, though Idaho State Police did not say exactly how the seatbelt use affected the outcome for each person involved.
Crash investigators often note restraint use as part of the record after serious collisions, and this case was no exception. The information gives a clearer picture of the circumstances inside both vehicles at the time of impact.
What is known as investigators continue reviewing the crash
As of Tuesday, police had not released any citations, charges, or further findings tied to the collision. Idaho State Police said the crash happened north of Cascade, but did not provide a more exact mile marker or intersection.
For drivers on Highway 55, the wreck was another reminder of how quickly traffic on a two-lane mountain corridor can be stopped by a head-on collision. The shutdown also affected anyone traveling through the area during the morning hours.
Authorities have not said when a full crash reconstruction or additional statement may be released.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
