VIDEO: Fiery Tour Van and Pickup Truck Collision Near Yellowstone Leaves Seven Dead, Eight Injured

Boise: A pickup truck and a tour van with foreign visitors collided on a highway near Yellowstone National Park, killing seven people and injuring eight others, Idaho State Police reported. The crash occurred around 7:15 pm Thursday on US Highway 20, near Henry's Lake State Park in eastern Idaho, about 16 miles west of Yellowstone.

The crash involved a Dodge Ram truck traveling west and a Mercedes van heading east toward Yellowstone. Both vehicles caught fire after the collision. The driver of the truck, 25-year-old Isaih Moreno from Humble, Texas, and six passengers in the van died at the scene. Two of the deceased were from Italy, and the others were from outside the U.S. Their identities are still being confirmed, as the bodies were too badly damaged to immediately identify.

The van was carrying a group of 14 tourists. The surviving passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, with two flown to hospitals in Idaho Falls and Bozeman, Montana. The conditions of the survivors are not yet known, but the other injured individuals are believed to have non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash is still under investigation. Witness Roger Merrill, who saw the crash site while driving home, said he watched the flames engulf the vehicles and saw bystanders helping the injured while waiting for first responders. He also noted that the highway is very busy and dangerous, especially since it leads to Yellowstone. A photo taken by him showed smoke and fire rising from the wreckage. Merrill, 60, was heading home when he encountered the scene and saw bystanders helping victims along the roadside.
 

The crash is still being investigated. Roger Merrill, a witness driving home, saw the vehicles on fire and bystanders helping the injured while waiting for emergency help. He mentioned that the highway is busy and dangerous, especially because it leads to Yellowstone. Merrill took a photo of the scene showing smoke and fire, and saw people helping victims on the side of the road.

Local authorities, including the Fremont County sheriff's deputy, assisted with the rescue efforts. Idaho Gov. Brad Little said the state is working with officials to understand what caused the crash. The highway was previously identified for safety improvements, but the project was still in the planning stage.

The highway had an average of about 10,500 vehicles daily in 2023.

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