Police identify victims in fatal crash

by Keith KINNAIRD<br
| December 4, 2008 8:00 PM

SANDPOINT - Idaho State Police have identified the woman killed in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 95 in Careywood on Wednesday as Kimberlee R. Dingman of Sandpoint.

Dingman, 44, was a passenger in a 1997 Jeep Cherokee struck head-on by another motorist and suffered fatal injuries in the collision, state police said.

Troopers said William D. Deardorff was headed south when he failed to negotiate a curve at milepost 456 and crashed his 1988 Chevrolet pickup truck into the northbound sport utility vehicle containing Dingman.

Deardorff, a 53-year-old from Spokane, Wash., was taken to Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d'Alene. His condition was listed as serious on Thursday, according to KMC spokeswoman Kim Anderson.

The driver of the Jeep, Crystal L. Bertolucci, 31, also of Sandpoint, was also taken to KMC, as was her 1-year-old daughter, Skylar, who was in a car seat at the time of the crash.

Crystal Bertolucci was later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she was listed in serious condition late Thursday.

Skylar Bertolucci suffered minor injuries in the wreck, ISP said.

The Jeep Crystal Bertolucci was driving caught fire after the collision and several passersby stopped to help extricate the SUV's occupants moments before flames overran the wreckage, a witness said.

"It was just shortly after we got them out that it became engulfed in fire," said the witnesses, who did not wish to be identified.

The crash shut down the north and southbound lanes for approximately 3 1/2 hours, according to ISP.

Alcohol is suspected to be a factor in the crash, although no further information was released by state police, which said the incident remains under investigation.

Spokane television station KXLY reported on Thursday that empty and full beer bottles were discovered in Deardorff's truck following the crash. The station also reported that Deardorff has a suspended license, no insurance and scores of tickets and arrests for traffic offenses, including drunken driving.