Crash kills motorist

CAREYWOOD — One man was killed and a woman was seriously injured Monday in a head-on crash on U.S. Highway 95.

Idaho State Police said Michael Lee Johns, 43, of Athol, died following the collision, which happened about four miles north of the Kootenai County line at approximately 5:15 p.m.

Jayme Ruben Shottanana, 27, of Bonners Ferry, was taken to Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene, state police said.

Shottanana was driving a Jeep Liberty compact sport utility vehicle, while Johns was driving a Dodge Intrepid sedan. State police said Shottanana was wearing a seat belt, but Johns was not.

Investigators were still trying to determine late Monday which direction the vehicles were headed when the collision happened, but said alcohol was a factor.

The crash happened near Beak’s Roadhouse and forced the closure of U.S. 95 for two and a half hours.

Sagle Fire Chief Rob Goodyear said firefighters extricated both the drivers from their badly smashed vehicles. Timberlake Fire District personnel transported Shottanana to KMC, but Goodyear said he did not know the extent of her injuries.

Neither vehicle had any passengers when the crash happened, authorities said.

Goodyear said the crash happened “within 50 yards” of the site of a head-on collision which killed Kimberlee Rae Dingman and seriously injured Crystal Bertolucci on Dec. 3, 2008.

William David Deardorff, 54, of Spokane, Wash., pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and aggravated drunken driving in connection with that crash and was sentenced in September to a prison term of 10-15 years.