Crash on SH16 Near Emmett Claims One

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IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE
District 3 Patrol 700 S. Stratford Dr., Meridian 83642
(208) 846-7550
Fax (208) 846-7520

For Immediate Release: May 25, 2012 9:35 p.m.
Please direct questions to the District Office

On May 25, 2012, at approximately 4:03 pm, Idaho State Police investigated a three vehicle, fatal crash on SH16 near milepost 10, just south of Old Freeze Out Road in Gem County.

Michael Vahlberg, 45, of Emmett, was driving northbound on SH16, in a Black 2002 Ford Pickup, when he attempted to turn west onto Old Freeze Out Road. Paul Hehir, 62, of Crane, OR, was traveling southbound on SH16, in a White 1995 Nissan Pathfinder when he struck Vahlberg's vehicle. The impact caused Hehir's vehicle to then collide with a 1995 Teal Chevy Pickup, driven by Danny Upton, 58, of Emmett, that was sitting stationary on Old Freeze Out Road. The damage to Upton's vehicle was minimal.

Hehir and two passengers in his vehicle, James Page, 65, of Wilder and Zane Parker, 10, of Wilder, were transported by ground ambulance to Walter Knox Memorial Hospital in Emmett, where Page succumbed to his injuries. The other passenger in Hehir's vehicle, Dale Phillips, 67, of Wilder, was transported via air ambulance to St. Alphonsus in Boise with unknown injuries. Both Vahlberg and Upton did not sustain any injuries. Alcohol is not a factor in the crash and next of kin have been notified.

The crash is still under investigation by Idaho State Police with assistance at the scene by Gem County Sheriff's Office and Emergency Personnel.

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