Ada County paramedic killed while driving home from work. The community has rallied
An Ada County paramedic died in a car accident over the weekend on his way home from work, and the community is rallying to support his family.
Shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday, a 22-year-old Parma man driving west in a Toyota truck attempted to pass a semi-truck on U.S. Highway 20, just west of Notus, the Idaho State Police said in a news release.
Police said the Toyota driver entered the eastbound lane and collided with a Prius driven by a 33-year-old Parma man. Family members identified the Prius driver as Kody Hansen through a GoFundMe account.
Hansen, who was wearing a seat belt, died from his injuries at the scene, according to police.
An air ambulance transported the Toyota driver to a local hospital.
Family members said Hansen was driving home from his work shift with Ada County Paramedics in Boise and was less than a mile from his house when the accident occurred.
“In his over 10 years as an Ada County paramedic, Kody dedicated his life to saving others and making his community a better place,” his sister, Taetyn Terry, said in a GoFundMe post.
The Idaho Statesman was unable to get comment from Ada County Paramedics about Hansen. He also has not been identified by the coroner’s office yet.
Terry launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to help pay funeral expenses and provide Hansen’s wife and three children with “the support they need as they navigate their changed lives.”
“Kody leaves behind his loving wife, Chelsea, and their three beautiful daughters, Sunny, Clementine, and Daisy,” Terry said. “He cherished his role as a father and husband, working tirelessly to allow Chelsea to be a stay-at-home mother and care for their girls.”
The GoFundMe raised more than $67,000 over its first two days, including large donations from the Idaho Medical Academy, emergency training school Idaho CPR Plus, and Meridian, Middleton, Star and Kuna firefighter unions.
The family said on social media that it will hold a viewing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd. in Nampa. A second viewing will be held from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., with a funeral at 11 a.m., at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7809 Deer Flat Road in Nampa.
