Fatal crash shuts down local road for several hours

At 2:15 a.m. this morning, August 29, 2024, the Idaho Falls Bonneville County Emergency Communications Center started receiving multiple reports of a car crash on Fremont Avenue, under the Highway 20 overpass.

Callers reported that the car was on fire. First responders from the Idaho Falls Police Department and Idaho Falls Fire arrived and found a 2014 Dodge Charger with a single adult male occupant in the vehicle. The vehicle had sustained major damage and a large sign had fallen in the roadway.

Idaho Falls Fire extinguished the fire and extricated the man from the vehicle. He was transported by ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center where he was declared deceased later in the morning.

Through investigation, Officers determined that the Charger had been traveling south on Fremont Avenue. The Charger went up onto the median, struck a large signpost and then continued into a support pillar for the Highway 20 overpass, ultimately stopping in the northbound lanes.

The sign, the car and debris blocked both directions of travel. Officers closed the roadway for several hours to allow first responders the space necessary to extricate the driver, to investigate the crash and to clear the roadway.

The road was completely reopened around 8:45 a.m. Speed is believed to be a factor in the severity of the crash.

No further information is expected to be released.