Pickup driver struck, killed motorcyclist near Caldwell; 16th death in Idaho in 2019

A motorcyclist who was struck early Monday by a pickup truck on a state highway west of Caldwell died at the scene.

Kenneth Olsen, 55, of Caldwell, was killed, according to an Idaho State Police news release. The pickup driver was identified as Nampa resident Medardo Rios, 58.

Rios has not been cited, though the crash is still under investigation, and the outcome may or may not lead to charges, ISP spokesman Tim Marsano said.

Through Aug. 12, 16 people have died in motorcycle crashes this year in Idaho. Three were in Canyon County, one in Ada County. That compares with 38 deaths in all of 2018.

The crash was reported at 6:21 a.m. at milepost 17 on Idaho Highway 19 in Canyon County.

Olsen was westbound on a 2009 Honda motorcycle near a J.R. Simplot Co. food-processing plant when he was struck by Rios, police said.

Rios was driving a 2002 Ford Ranger pickup on a farm road on the north side of the highway and attempting to cross to the south side, Marsano said. The farm road, which doesn’t have a name on Googlemaps, was between Wagner Road and Dixie River Road.

Olsen, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the motorcycle.

The highway was blocked for about two hours as police investigated.

This story was originally published August 12, 2019 at 2:40 PM.