Coroner identifies motorcyclist struck and killed by vehicle as Kuna man. What we know
A Kuna man killed in a crash last week has been identified by the Ada County Coroner’s Office.
Burton Kirkham, 43, died from blunt force injuries at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise on Aug. 15, according to the coroner’s report. The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet.
Just before 6:30 p.m. that same day, a 16-year-old girl was driving a Volvo hatchback eastbound on Deer Flat Road near Kuna and attempted to make a U-turn at North Antelope Flat Avenue when her car struck Kirkham’s motorcycle, according to a news release from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. Kirkham was also traveling eastbound.
The teenager was not injured, police said.
“The force of the impact was severe, knocking the motorcycle to the ground,” the news release said. Both Kirkham’s motorcycle and the teen’s car were severely damaged.
Kuna police officers and emergency personnel performed first aid on Kirkham when they arrived and transported him to Saint Al’s, the sheriff’s office said.
Kirkham died in the emergency room roughly 30 minutes after the crash, according to the coroner’s report.
Patrick Orr, a spokesperson for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, told the Idaho Statesman by email Tuesday that the teenager “has not been charged at this point.”
Fatal traffic crashes generally take a long time to resolve through the legal system, Orr said, because steps like evidence testing and crash reconstruction take time and prosecutors want “every bit of info and evidence” before they make a decision on possible charges.
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Coroner identifies motorcyclist struck and killed by vehicle as Kuna man. What we know."
