Eagle, ID : Emmett man dies in Highway 16 collision on Wednesday, 5th February, 2020

A rush hour traffic accident on Highway 16, just north of the Firebird Raceway, Wednesday evening has taken the life of an Emmett man. According to the Ada County Coroner's office, 42-year-old William “Bill" Fuller, Jr. of Emmett was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Fuller was identified as the driver of a Kia Soul that was northbound on Highway 16 when it collided with a southbound wrecker truck owned by Country Repair and Towing of Nampa. Two juvenile passengers in the Kia were transported to a local hospital for treatment of what the Ada County Sheriff's office termed as “serious injuries”. The status of those victims has not been officially updated as of now.The 44-year old driver of the truck was transported to a hospital for examination but released. “He was shaken up,” according to a Country Repair spokesperson, but “other than some bruises appears to be okay.”

Information obtained from the Ada County Sheriff's office indicated that “the crash was violent, as initial information shows both vehicles were going around the 65 mile per hour limit at the time. Both vehicles were badly damaged by the force of impact, and resulted in debris covering both lanes over a large area.”An eye witness report indicated that the Kia Soul drifted into the southbound lane and that the truck attempted to avoid collision by veering off to the right side of the road. The Kia made contact with the left front corner of the truck with impact at the driver's door. The truck was returning to Nampa empty after delivering a vehicle to Emmett.

The collision, which was reported at about 5:45 p.m., Feb. 6, necessitated Ada County Sheriff's office requesting that Gem County Sheriff's office assist by closing Highway 16, first at Jackass Gulch Road and eventually at Cherry Lane. Some northbound traffic was diverted off Highway 16 to Dry Creek and then Pearl Road before rejoining Highway 16 at Jackass Gulch. The road remained closed until just after midnight. Idaho Department of Transportation traffic control crews eventually relieved the GCSO officers at the road blocks.

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