Drunk driver caused fiery crash that killed 7 near Yellowstone National Park, police say
The driver of a pickup truck involved in a deadly and fiery collision near Yellowstone National Park earlier this month was intoxicated at over twice the legal limit, authorities have determined.
The crash on May 1 left seven people dead, including the driver of the pickup and six of the 14 who were on board a tour van. The two vehicles collided at about 7:15 p.m. local time near Henry's Lake in Island Park, Idaho, about 20 miles from the park, causing both to burst into flames, according to the Idaho State Police. The crash shut down Highway 20 for about seven hours, authorities said.
The pickup driver, who was identified as 25-year-old Isaih Moreno of Humble, Texas, had a blood alcohol content of 0.20%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%, state police said in an update on May 30. Moreno was determined to be the at-fault driver in the collision. Police said the pickup crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, causing the crash.
First responders including an air ambulance treated more than a dozen patients. Shortly after the crash, bystanders and a Fremont County sheriff's deputy helped injured people in the van as it went up in flames, Idaho State Police said.
Idaho State Police said the crash happened just as Idaho prepared to enter a period known as the "100 Deadliest Days" – the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when "traffic fatalities typically rise due to increased summer travel, holidays, and impaired driving." Alcohol is the leading cause of traffic deaths in Idaho, the state police said.
“This tragedy should be a wake-up call,” Captain Chris Weadick said in a statement. “No one plans to cause a crash or take a life when they get behind the wheel, but choices have consequences. Impaired driving isn’t just illegal – it’s deadly. If you see someone unfit to drive, speak up. Lives depend on it.”
Who were the victims?
Moreno and six people on board a tour van died in the crash. The van, operated by Ctour Holiday LLC, was on an excursion to Yellowstone National Park at the time of the crash. The driver was licensed in California. Twelve of the occupants held Chinese citizenship and one was from Italy, Idaho State Police said.
Those killed were identified as:
- Ivana Wen, age 28, of Milan, Italy
- Jianping Li, age 71, of Guangxi, China
- Li Nie, age 64, of Arcadia, California
- Aifeng Wan, age 53, of Arcadia, California
- Xiaoming Jiang, age 66, of Guilin, Guangxi Province, China
- Yu Zhang, age 30, of Eastvale, California; driver of the tour van
- Isaih Moreno, age 25, of Humble, Texas; driver of the Dodge Ram pickup truck