A midday collision involving a pickup truck hauling a horse trailer and a semi-truck on State Highway 46 left a Richfield man hospitalized via air ambulance and blocked traffic for roughly five hours, according to the Idaho State Police.
The two-vehicle injury crash in Gooding County took place on October 16, 2026, at approximately 12:51 p.m. near milepost 108. State troopers reported that a 73-year-old male resident of Richfield was traveling southbound in a 2020 GMC Sierra while towing a horse trailer.
Investigators stated that a 2002 International semi-truck, driven southbound by an 18-year-old male from Burley, swerved to avoid stopped traffic as the GMC Sierra attempted a left turn into a local veterinary office. The commercial truck subsequently struck the pickup.
Emergency Response and Medical Transport
Emergency medical personnel requested an air ambulance to transport the driver of the GMC Sierra to a local hospital for treatment. Troopers noted that the driver of the pickup was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. Meanwhile, the teenage driver of the semi-truck was wearing a seatbelt and avoided critical injuries.
The impact and subsequent debris forced authorities to close State Highway 46 in both directions, keeping the roadway blocked for approximately five hours while crews cleared the scene and investigated the mechanics of the collision.
Multi-Agency Collaboration on Highway 46
Responding units from multiple regional agencies coordinated rescue and traffic management efforts following the dispatch call. The Idaho State Police received assistance at the scene from the Gooding County Sheriff Office, the Gooding County Fire Department, and Gooding County EMS.
Medical evacuation support was provided by Air St Luke’s, while the Idaho Transportation Department assisted with extended road closure management and detour routing.
Ongoing Investigation Into the Collision
The exact sequence of events leading up to the sudden braking of traffic remains under active review by state authorities. Troopers assigned to the southern regional district continue to collect witness statements and physical evidence from the highway corridor.
Anyone with additional information regarding the traffic patterns prior to the 12:51 p.m. impact can contact local dispatchers through official channels managed by the Idaho State Police District 4 office in Jerome.
