Report: Crash occurred when driver fell asleep
Jun. 15—GRANGEVILLE — Investigators of a fatal car wreck Saturday in which four family members died believe that a 17-year-old girl who was driving fell asleep at the wheel and ran off the road into the Salmon River.
The investigation report was released Wednesday by the Idaho County Sheriff's Office. The accident happened at about 1 p.m. Saturday at milepost 199 on U.S. Highway 95, about 3 miles north of Riggins.
Calvin "CJ" Miller, 36; Dakota Miller, 17; Jack Miller, 10; and Delihia Miller, 8, all of Spokane, died in the crash. There were no survivors.
The family reportedly was traveling from Spokane to Council, Idaho, according to the sheriff's report. Their last known location was on top of the White Bird grade but the family was reported overdue to their destination. Later that day a fisherman spotted the vehicle upside down in the water, according to a Facebook post from Idaho County Coroner Cody Funke.
Idaho County Deputy Scott Sumpter was dispatched to the scene around 12:57 p.m. Saturday, according to the accident report.
"At the time it was unclear if the vehicle in the river was a new crash or previous crash, as there have been several crashes in close proximity to the reported area," Sumpter wrote.
Sumpter observed a partially submerged gold-colored sedan with Washington license plates flipped over about 30 feet off the highway and 5 to 7 feet into the river.
He did not at first observe anyone around the vehicle who had been involved in the crash. But shortly after one of the emergency responders arrived on the scene, Jack Miller was removed from a rear passenger seat, Sumpter reported.
Dale's Rescue Towing arrived on the scene to remove the vehicle from the river, and the other three occupants were discovered.
"In the driver's seat was Dakota Miller," Sumpter wrote. "In the front passenger seat was Calvin Miller. Calvin's seat belt was secured and he was still seated properly in the front passenger's seat. In the rear passenger area on the passenger side was Delihia Miller. Delihia's seat belt was secured but it appeared that she was sideways in the rear seat area with her feet up in the head rest of the front passenger seat.
"Based on my investigation and after processing the crash scene, it is believed that Dakota Miller was fatigued while driving from Spokane in route to Council and fell asleep while driving in the area of milepost 199 on Hwy 95," according to the investigation report. "Due to this, Dakota drove off of the highway, striking a large pile of rocks, sending the vehicle airborne. The vehicle struck another large pile of rocks, flipping the vehicle end over end and landing upside down in the Salmon River. In this course of events the drivers' window was broken while the remaining windows stayed intact, causing the extremely cold water to fill the cab of the vehicle, with its occupants, secured in their seats, to be trapped resulting in the drowning deaths of all four individuals."
According to a social media post, a fundraising page has been established at: bit.ly/3X13W5C to benefit Amberlynn Weber, who is the "life partner" of CJ Miller and the mother of the three children. She was not involved in the accident.
Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.
