Last week’s fatal car accident near Yellowstone National Park in Idaho has been determined by Idaho State Police to have been caused by a Dodge Ram pickup truck crossing the centerline of the highway and colliding with a tour van carrying 12 Chinese tourists, resulting in the deaths of 7 people.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Idaho State Police confirmed that the Dodge Ram pickup truck crossed the centerline of US Highway 20 and collided with an oncoming Mercedes van. Authorities are still investigating the reasons that led the pickup truck driver to veer into the oncoming traffic.
In addition to the driver, the Mercedes van was carrying 12 Chinese tourists and one Italian tourist. According to police, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco of the People’s Republic of China, and the Italian Consulate General in San Francisco, five Chinese tourists, one Italian tourist, and the pickup truck driver lost their lives in the accident.
The identity of the pickup truck driver, 25-year-old Isaih Moreno from Humble, Texas, has been confirmed by police. Humble is a city in the northern part of the Houston metropolitan area.
The accident occurred on the evening of Thursday, May 1, close to 7:15 pm near Henry’s Lake State Park in eastern Idaho, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) west of Yellowstone National Park.
At the time of the collision, the pickup truck was traveling west while the van was heading east towards Yellowstone Park. Video footage from the scene showed clear weather conditions.
Police reported that both vehicles caught fire after the collision. It will require DNA testing to confirm the identities of other deceased individuals, according to authorities.
Additionally, police mentioned that the eight other occupants in the van sustained injuries.
Due to the involvement of a commercial vehicle and the scale of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting an independent investigation. Officials from this federal independent investigative agency have visited the scene and are reviewing evidence, as stated by the police.
According to the latest data from the International Trade Administration (ITA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce, among international visitors arriving in the U.S. by air, 36% consider visiting national parks and national monuments as their top leisure activity while in the country.