Toddler dies in rollover

SANDPOINT — A toddler was killed and two others were injured Sunday when the sport utility vehicle they were in overturned on Highway 200 and landed on its roof in the Pack River delta.

Kaitlin Lee Price-Williams, a 2-year-old from Sagle, was killed in the rollover crash east of the Idaho Club.

Idaho State Police said Ashlee Price was westbound on the highway when she drove off the north shoulder of the highway, overcorrected and overturned. The Toyota 4Runner rolled down a steep embankment landed on its top in about four feet of water.

Price, 18, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the midsize SUV. Passersby who saw the wreckage staged a dramatic effort to rescue a 5-year-old passenger and Price’s daughter from the mostly submerged vehicle.

State police Cpl. Jeff Jayne said as many as 14 people took part in the rescue, nearly half of whom entered the Pack River to try and get the children out, but could not get the doors opened.

The rescuers decided to roll the vehicle onto its driver’s side, which caused the passenger side of the rig to emerge from the water slightly.

“They were able to climb on top of the vehicle while the other rescuers held the vehicle from rolling back onto its roof,” said Jayne.

The rescuers were able to get a rear door open and held Tyson Ruel’s head above water while he was cut out of his safety belt, Jayne said. Kaitlin, who was strapped into a child safety seat behind the driver’s seat, could not be saved in time.

Jayne said Ruel was resuscitated at Bonner General Hospital, but his condition worsened and he was taken by air ambulance to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash. He was listed in stable condition on Monday morning, a hospital official said.

Ashlee Price was in stable condition at Bonner General on Monday.

Bonner County Sheriff’s Chaplain Phil Kinzler was dispatched to the scene of the crash to offer assistance to the rescuers.

“They were pretty shook up,” said Jayne, adding that the rescuers deserve recognition for their heroism.

The investigation into the cause of the crash resumes today. Jayne said it remains unclear what caused the vehicle to go off the road, although there are reports that Price was attempting to avoid hitting an animal in the road.

“This one hurts,” said Jayne.

The crash happened at about 1:40 p.m. on the opposite side of the highway where a memorial was erected to honor another motorist who died after crashing into the river.

The Kaitlin Lee Price-Williams Memorial Fund has been established at Panhandle State Bank.