7 people are dead after a truck and tour van collided near Yellowstone,
police say
[May 03, 2025]
By BEATRICE DUPUY and REBECCA BOONE
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A pickup truck collided with a tour van carrying a
number of foreign travelers 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.
Fremont County coroner, Brenda Dye, told The New York Times that she was
waiting for DNA test results to identify the six others because the
bodies were unrecognizable. She said all six were from outside the U.S.
Two were from Italy.
China's Consulate General in San Francisco said that five Chinese
citizens were killed in the accident and another eight were injured.
“The consulate expressed deep condolences for the dead and sincere
sympathy to the injured and the families of those affected,” according
to the official Xinhua news agency. It was in contact with the family
members and providing support, it said.
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.
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Rescue workers arrive to the scene after a deadly collision between
a pickup truck and tour van near Henry’s Lake State Park in eastern
Idaho on Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Roger Merrill via AP)
“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 state is working with local officials to get “answers on what
led to this terrible tragedy,” Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in a
social media post.
The Idaho Transportation Department had identified the highway for
safety improvements aimed at reducing the severity of crashes, but
the project was still in the research and planning phase. An average
of about 10,500 vehicles traveled that portion of the highway 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.
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