Background: Law enforcement officers investigate the fatal crash on U.S. Highway 12 in the area of Kooskia, Idaho (Idaho State Police). Inset: Neale Brewer (Idaho County Jail).
Authorities in Idaho say a woman is accused of striking and killing three motorcyclists with her pickup truck while attempting to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone on a rural stretch of highway.
Neale Brewer, 60, has been charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter, according to Idaho County jail records reviewed by Law&Crime. She remains in custody without bond.
The crash happened at about 4 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. Highway 12 near Kooskia. Investigators said Brewer was driving a 2019 Ford F-150 westbound when the collision occurred. The three riders were traveling eastbound on their motorcycles at the time.
According to Idaho State Police, a preliminary investigation found that Brewer attempted to pass another vehicle in a clearly marked no-passing zone. In doing so, she crossed over the double yellow centerline and collided with the motorcyclists.
The Idaho County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Ethan Powers, 35, Jeremy Coleman, 45, and Nathan McCormick, 26.
Images released by Idaho State Police show the crash took place on a two-lane section of Highway 12, with a waterway running alongside the road and mountains surrounding the area.
The three motorcyclists died at the scene. Police said in their press release on Wednesday that the Idaho County Coroner’s Office would determine the exact cause and manner of deaths.
Brewer was brought to a local hospital to be treated, and when she was released, she was arrested and booked into jail.
U.S. Highway 12 was closed for more than six hours, authorities noted, as investigators cleared the site and gathered evidence. The crash is still under investigation.
Kooskia, Idaho, sits in the northwestern part of the state, about 220 miles north of the capital city of Boise.