Authorities: Pickup truck driver commits suicide at scene after crash that sparked brush fire near Blackfoot

BLACKFOOT — A local man committed suicide at the scene of an accident last week west of Blackfoot, authorities said.

The wreck occurred around 5 p.m. Thursday at 1100 West at 480 North when a southbound 2014 Chevrolet Silverado struck a power pole.

The crash left two of the pickup’s three occupants injured and knocked down the power pole, igniting a brush fire that scorched dozens of acres of farmland and destroyed a well pump.

Following the crash, the Blackfoot man who was driving the pickup helped one of his two injured passengers out of the vehicle and then fatally shot himself in the head with a revolver, according to the Bingham County Coroner’s Office. He died at the scene as a result of the self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

The Coroner’s Office released its conclusion on Monday that the pickup’s driver committed suicide following the completion of the investigation into the incident.

The pickup’s two passengers, a man and woman, were transported via Blackfoot Fire Department ambulances to Bingham Memorial Hospital where they were treated and released.

The two passengers are also from Blackfoot, authorities said.

Blackfoot firefighters responded to the brush fire and extinguished the flames.

The crash and fire resulted in the road being shut down for about five hours, authorities said.

Also responding to the incident were Bingham County sheriff’s deputies and Idaho State Police troopers.