BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A pickup truck and a tour van collided on a highway leading to Yellowstone National Park, leaving seven people dead and eight others injured, Idaho State Police said.
The crash happened just before 7:15 p.m. Thursday on U.S. Highway 20 near Henry’s Lake State Park in eastern Idaho, police said in a news release. The state park is roughly 16 miles (26 kilometers) west of Yellowstone National Park.
Police have not said what exactly caused the wreck, but the Dodge Ram truck was traveling west while the Mercedes van was traveling east toward Yellowstone when it happened. Video from the scene showed clear weather conditions at the time.
Both vehicles caught fire, police said. The driver of the pickup and six people inside the Mercedes passenger van died. The truck driver was identified Friday as Isaih Moreno, 25, of Humble, Texas. Identifying the others will take some time, according to police.
The van was carrying a tour group of 14 people, and the surviving occupants were taken to hospitals with injuries, police spokesperson Aaron Snell said.
Two were flown to an Idaho Falls hospital and one was flown to a Bozeman, Montana, hospital, according to police. Their conditions were not released. The others were taken to area hospitals with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening, police said.
The crash remains under investigation.
Roger Merrill, 60, was driving home when he saw flames engulfing the two vehicles as bystanders tried to care for survivors from the van on the side of the highway. Merrill said he often sees tourist vans on the highway.
“It is a very dangerous highway because it leads to the main entrance of Yellowstone National Park,” he said. “It’s extremely busy.”
Merrill captured video of the wreckage with smoke blanketing the van. Due to the remote location, Merrill said he anxiously awaited the help of first responders.
“It took an unnervingly long time for help to arrive just because of the location,” he said.
Police said Friday that a Fremont County sheriff’s deputy arrived shortly after the crash and, with the help of bystanders, immediately helped injured van occupants as it caught fire.
The Idaho Transportation Department has identified the highway for safety improvements designed to reduce the severity of crashes, but the project is still in the research and planning phase. That portion of the highway had an average of about 10,500 vehicles traveling it daily in 2023, according to the agency.
___ Dupuy reported from New York City. Associated Press reporter Lisa Baumann contributed to this story from Bellingham, Washington.
Beatrice Dupuy And Rebecca Boone, The Associated Press
