Suit filed over deadly crash

SANDPOINT — The children of a Bonner County woman was accidentally killed in a collision on U.S. Highway 95 last summer are seeking damages from the motorist who crashed into her and his employer.

Counsel for the children of Kathleen Louise Ginter contends Alexander Craig Hjelt’s negligence behind the wheel resulted in the wrongful death of Ginter, according a lawsuit filed in 1st District Court on Monday.

Idaho State Police said Ginter was stopped behind a vehicle that was turning off U.S. 95 at West Elmira Road when Hjelt crashed into the back of her 1993 Saturn. The collision propelled Ginter’s vehicle into the southbound lane of travel, where it was struck by an oncoming sport utility vehicle. Ginter, 60, was fatally injured in the back-to-back crashes in June 2015.

Hjelt, 31, of Post Falls, told troopers that he attempted to take evasive action to avoid the collision, but was unable to do so in time, court records indicate.

Hjelt is charged with vehicular manslaughter at the misdemeanor level. A criminal complaint alleges Hjelt was traveling over the speed limit and driving in a careless manner.

Hjelt pleaded not guilty in January, setting the stage for a two-day jury trial in Bonner County Magistrate Court this summer.

Hjelt is free on his own recognizance while the case is pending.

The suit was brought by daughters Billie Jo Homan and Samantha Gipson, in addition to Ginter’s son, Lucas. It names Hjelt and his employer, Montana-based Star West Satellite, as defendants. The trio’s counsel, Sandpoint attorney Joseph Jarzabek, argues Hjelt was driving at a speed that was inappropriate for highway conditions and he failed to pay attention to traffic conditions while following a vehicle more closely than was reasonable or prudent.