Motorcyclist dies in hit-and-run crash
CLARK FORK — A motorcyclist was killed and his passenger was injured Tuesday night after they were thrown from their bike and then struck by a pickup truck that fled the scene, according to Idaho State Police.
Kurt P. Henson, 47, of Post Falls, was fatally injured in the Highway 200 collision. A passenger on Henson’s Harley-Davidson, Kimberly Lenox, 43, also of Post Falls, was taken to Bonner General Hospital, where she was treated and released.
State police announced on Wednesday that the hit-and-run driver, 28-year-old Brianna Lucille Knapp, contacted investigators and was arrested for leaving the scene of a fatal crash after an interview.
Leaving the scene of an injury or fatal crash is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Idaho Code.
The crashes happened shortly before 10:30 p.m. on the western outskirts of Clark Fork.
State police said Henson was westbound when he hit an abrupt lane edge in a construction zone, which ejected Henson and Lenox. Knapp, who was also westbound, crashed into the duo and their bike shortly thereafter.
Knapp allegedly fled the scene, but the 2001 Dodge 1500 she was driving apparently broke down and was found abandoned by the roadside. State police said Knapp was picked up by an unidentified motorist, whom troopers are seeking to identify and interview.
Spokane media outlets identified Henson as a well-liked Spokane Police officer and former Kootenai County sheriff’s deputy.
The collision was witnessed by Jeff Wilder, a Bonner County EMS emergency medical technician who happened to be responding to a medical call as a Clark Fork Ambulance volunteer, said Bonner EMS spokesman Bob Abbott.
“As Jeff stopped and got out of his car, he watched this 2001 Dodge strike the motorcycle and Officer Henson,” Abbott said.
As Wilder and another motorist tried to control traffic, another unidentified woman tended to an injured Lenox, who remained in the roadway. Then a tractor-trailer closed in on the scene at a high rate of speed, Abbott said.
Abbott said Wilder had to jump into bushes along the roadside to avoid being hit. The woman who was helping Lenox, meanwhile, dragged her out of the road and up a small embankment.
“What she did was pretty extraordinary,” said Abbott.
The crashes occurred in a section of highway that is being reconstructed, according to the Idaho Transportation Department. The speed limit was lowered to 45 mph because of the variable road surface and the work being conducted.
Henson is the third motorcyclist to die on a state highway in Bonner County this year. It’s also the sixth fatality on a state highway in the county so far this year.
Knapp could make an initial appearance in magistrate court today unless she is able to bond out beforehand.
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Troopers seek witnesses
Idaho State Police are seeking motorists who witnessed the deadly crash or drove through the crash scene. Troopers are particularly interested in contacting a woman in a black two-door car who picked up Brianna Lucille Knapp after the crash.
Those with information are asked to call ISP Dispatch at (208) 209-8730.