Back-to-back crashes injure three on U.S. 95

SANDPOINT — A Clark Fork motorcyclist was injured Thursday morning after colliding with a vehicle trailer at Fifth Avenue and Larch Street, according to Idaho State Police.

Duane Deckert, 71, was taken to Bonner General Hospital, state police said.

An ISP news release said Donald Cocklereece was stopped at the intersection’s traffic light when Deckert pulled on the shoulder to the right of Cocklereece’s Dodge pickup truck. Both proceeded forward when the light cycled to green and Deckert hit a trailer being towed by the Dodge, which knocked him off the Yamaha motorcycle he was riding.

The news release did not specify which way the two were headed, although Bonner County EMS officials said Deckert’s bike ended up laying on its side in the northbound portion of Fifth.

Deckert was wearing a helmet, state police said. Cocklereece, 65, of Reardan, Wash., was not injured in the crash.

The crash happened shortly after 9 a.m.

That crash came about 20 minutes after a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 95 on Bonners Ferry’s south side.

State police said Molly Butters, 34, of Bonners Ferry, was entering the city northbound when her Ford Ranger pickup crossed the center line and collided with a Chevrolet Lumina driven by Lawrence Unruh, 84, also of Bonners Ferry.

Butters and Unruh, both of whom were wearing seat belts, were taken to Boundary Community Hospital, where they were treated and released.

Witnesses said the front-passenger tire fell off Butters’ pickup and suspected that’s why she lost control of her rig.

 “She came flying through here,” said Tina Hoover, who works at Alpine Cleaners.

 Hoover said Butters’ truck traveled through Alpine’s parking lot and plowed through a fence before coming to a stop.

 Another witness, who declined to be identified, said he was following Butters. He saw her truck swerve out of control and then he saw the tire go.

 An unidentified passenger in Unruh’s sedan was not hurt.