Fort Hall, ID (April 20, 2025) – A piece of furniture left in the roadway triggered a multi-vehicle crash Saturday morning on Interstate 15, causing a major traffic shutdown near Fort Hall, according to Idaho State Police.
Accident Details: The crash occurred around 7:40 a.m. on northbound I-15 just south of the Fort Hall exit. Traffic had come to a halt while troopers were working to remove a chair from the roadway, when a 2009 Peterbilt semi tanker truck, driven by a 48-year-old Montana man, rear-ended a stopped 2015 Ford Explorer.
The Ford Explorer, occupied by a 35-year-old woman and a juvenile passenger, both from Pocatello, was pushed forward into a 2019 Honda Accord driven by a 30-year-old man from Chubbuck. All individuals involved were wearing seat belts, and no injuries were reported.
The crash blocked all northbound lanes of I-15 for more than four hours. The semi-tanker was hauling deicing liquid, though authorities reported little to no spillage at the scene.
Legal Considerations: Even in crashes without injuries, rear-end collisions involving commercial trucks are subject to thorough investigations, especially when they occur due to slowed or stopped traffic. Authorities will review dashcam footage, onboard data, and reaction distance to determine whether the semi-truck driver could have prevented the crash.
Those involved in the crash may have legal grounds to pursue property damage claims, even in the absence of physical injuries.
Ongoing Investigation: The Idaho State Police are continuing to investigate the incident and are working to identify how the chair entered the roadway. The agency suspects it may have fallen from another vehicle. Bannock County deputies, Chubbuck Police, and the Idaho Transportation Department assisted at the scene.
Source: Idaho State Journal