1 dead, 3 injured in two crashes near Mountain Home

One person died and two others were injured Friday morning in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 84 near Mountain Home. And about a half-hour later a truck driver was hurt when his semi collided with a train.

A 2010 Toyota Tacoma heading west near Milepost 77 crossed the median and began going the wrong way on the eastbound lanes. The pickup struck a 1999 Kenworth semi truck loaded with tires and axles, according to the Idaho State Police.

The pickup came to a stop in the eastbound lanes, while the semi, driven by Michael Collins, 53, of Boise, jackknifed and blocked the eastbound lanes. The flatbed trailer spilled its load onto the roadway, blocking westbound as well as eastbound traffic.

The pickup’s driver, whose name has not been released pending notification of next of kin, died at the scene. Westbound driver James Warren, 44, of Mountain Home was injured when he swerved his Chevrolet pickup truck to avoid one of the loose tires and ran off the road into the median.

Warren and a passenger in the Toyota pickup were taken by ambulance to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.

Both eastbound freeway lanes were blocked for 80 minutes, with the left lane blocked an additional 20 minutes.

Shortly after that wreck, a semi truck heading north on Cinder Butte Road struck a westbound train, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. The driver complained of chest pains caused by his seat belt and was taken to St. Luke’s Elmore Medical Center for observation. Traffic on the single-track line remained stopped Friday afternoon, as investigators worked at the scene.

Cinder Butte Road is near the Simco Road exit where vehicles were being diverted from the fatal accident.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 10:25 AM with the headline "1 dead, 3 injured in two crashes near Mountain Home."