A 22-year-old Ada County man died as the result of a semi vs. pickup truck collision at the Idaho 55/44 intersection Wednesday night.
The driver of the semi, 32-year-old Cecilio Eliut Camacho-Montoya, is charged with felony counts of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.
The driver of the pickup was pronounced deceased at a local hospital a short time after the crash.
The crash occurred around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Multiple witnesses told investigators the driver of the semi, later identified as Camacho-Montoya, was driving southbound on Idaho 55 and ran through the red light at the Idaho 44 intersection at a high rate of speed.
When the semi entered the intersection, it collided with a Ford pickup truck that was headed eastbound. The force of the impact was significant. After hitting the pickup, the semi split apart and hit several concrete barriers before it stopped moving.
Deputies arrived at the scene and began first aid for the driver of the pickup, who was thrown from his vehicle by the force of the impact. Paramedics arrived moments later and transported him to a local hospital, where he was declared deceased a short time later.
Deputies found Camacho-Montoya nearby. When talking to him, deputies detected the smell of alcohol. Camacho-Montoya told deputies he had a few beers earlier.
Camacho-Montoya then failed field sobriety tests and registered a .22 blood alcohol content (BAC) level, which is over the legal BAC level of .04 for anyone with a valid commercial driver’s license — and over the legal BAC level of .08 for regular drivers in Idaho.
Deputies then arrested Camacho-Montoya and booked him into the Ada County Jail. He is set to make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon.
The Ada County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the driver of the pickup later Thursday.