A chain-reaction collision on U.S. Highway 20 claimed one life and sent another driver to the hospital on Friday afternoon. The three-vehicle wreck happened at 2:15 p.m. near mile marker 297 in rural Bonneville County. Local authorities identified the victim as 29-year-old Rylee Baird of Idaho Falls.
Investigators with the Idaho State Police are piecing together how the sequential hits unfolded on the open road. Baird was heading east in a 2025 Kia K5 when his sedan struck the trailer of an oncoming semi-truck. The 2019 Kenworth semi was traveling west, driven by a 40-year-old resident of Aurora, Colorado.
Before traffic could slow down, a third vehicle entered the crash scene. A westbound 2023 Ford F-150 pickup truck, driven by a 22-year-old man from Severance, Colorado, slammed into Baird’s Kia. The double impact left the Kia heavily crushed in the middle of the roadway.
Deputy coroners arriving at the scene confirmed that Baird died from his injuries before he could be transported. Police reports show Baird was buckled up properly in his seat. Emergency medical teams focused their attention on the driver of the Ford pickup, who was hurt in the second crash.
Ambulance crews transported the 22-year-old pickup driver to a local medical center. State police reported that the pickup driver was not wearing a seat belt when his vehicle struck the Kia. The driver of the semi-truck was wearing a seat belt and escaped the wreck without any physical injuries.
The severity of the impact forced state troopers to shut down U.S. Highway 20 in both directions. State workers set up detours through Blackfoot as emergency crews cleared vehicle remnants and spilled fluids. The highway remained fully blocked for hours while reconstruction officers took measurements and gathered evidence.
County Coroner Shante Sanchez expressed condolences to Baird’s family as the community grapples with the sudden loss. Idaho State Police troopers are keeping the investigation open while they evaluate vehicle speeds and mechanical factors. Further details will be released once troopers finalize their collision reconstruction report.
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