The driver of a Dodge Ram pickup that demolished a tour van near Idaho’s Yellowstone National Park on May 1, killing seven, was way over the limit for alcohol consumption. The Yellowstone tour van crash is still under investigation, but authorities released the cause.
Yellowstone tour van crash “a wake-up call”
On Friday, Idaho State Police announced that the driver, Isaiah Moreno, had a blood alcohol level of 0.20, two-and-a-half times the state’s legal limit of 0.08. The 27-year-old Moreno, a resident of Humble, Texas, died in the incident, along with six passengers in the tour van he hit.
“This tragedy should be a wake-up call,” said Capt. Chris Weadick of the Idaho State Police. “Nobody sets out to cause a crash or take a life, but the choices we make matter.”
Altogether, 14 people were involved in the crash. The six passengers in the tour van came from across the globe, from as near as California, to as far away as Italy and China.
They were traveling on a roadway that connects Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. The route is commonly used between the two parks before Grand Teton fully opens for high-season travel.
Gut-wrenching video
Gut-wrenching video of the incident was carried by many major network media outlets. Some of it comes from Roger Merrill, who was driving home and arrived on the scene shortly after the crash, he told the AP.
Roger Merrill told the service he waited for first responders to arrive while bystanders tried to care for the victims.
“It is a very dangerous highway because it leads to the main entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It’s extremely busy,” he shared, adding, “It took an unnervingly long time for help to arrive just because of the location.” Merrill’s comments were quoted by people.com.
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RVT1212
Tragic event for everyone involved and relatives. Sad. He made a very bad choice!
Yes he did, and others paid the price for his bad choice. So sad 😞
Have travelled the road between Jackson, Teton and Yellowstone many times. Such a beautiful stretch of road with stunning vistas. So sad that one person took it upon themselves to drive while intoxicated, and then gravely impact the lives, and families of six others.
We have wintered in Texas for 8 seasons. Probably because so much of the state is rural, an extraordinary number of native Texans drive like there is nobody else on the road. Turn signals are optional for turns or lane changes. And while many Texas roads have speed limits higher than other states for the same type of road, too many Texans view them as suggestions, and not by a little amount. Especially in rural areas, there is a culture for boys with big pickup trucks – and an attitude of live big and take chances. Not all boys (and sometimes girls) but too many.
Same thing about Idaho drivers.
Idaho’s Yellowstone, did you use ai?
Hi, Patti. According to the Yellowstone National Park website, 96% of the park is in Wyoming, 3% is in Montana, and 1% is in Idaho. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Every time I see a Stellantis pickup on the road it is either driven by a hot rodding punk who is “blowing coal” or some stuck in the air jerk who owns the road. Must be a cult thing.
Watch the Ram ads on tv. They sell you as 👑 of the road But do the other truck manufacturers but they seem to be more family inclined
How does a gas pickup blow coal? Dumb post.
”Coal burner” is a term used to describe the black smoke modified diesels spew out. They call them ‘coal burners’ because of the black soot they blow out when you step on the accelerator. (I was going to say ‘step on the gas’ but someone would call me out on that.)
Thank you for this grisly reminder of the potential destruction and heartache drunk driving easily can cause, Russ and Tina! How horrible! SAFE travels!