Summer is a fun time around Spokane and Idaho, especially in the area around Bonner County and the Panhandle. That means a lot of activity around Highway 95, often using vans and buses to carry passengers to and from summer programs. Unfortunately, a lot of these passengers include children, and a recent accident left 12 people—10 of whom were children—injured according to a story from KXLY.
Idaho State Police (ISP) say two vans collided on Highway 95 near Elmira in Bonner County on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The driver of the first van, a 34-year-old man, was carrying several children as part of a summer program. Their destination was Kootenai Falls, but the crash happened as a 29-year-old woman was trying to merge onto the highway.
According to Bonner General Hospital, the first van had 12 injuries in total: a driver, junior high mentor, and 10 children. One person had to be airlifted to the hospital.
What Information Do I Need If My Child is Injured During a Field Trip in Idaho?
When you sign your child up for a summer program in the area, there’s certain expectations in place about where they go and what they do. But that can all change quickly when there’s an accident during a field trip or some other excursion. And when that happens, it’s hard to even know where to begin.
But there are facts about what happened, and one way to get to the bottom of it is by getting certain information like:
- Accident reports. There’s two different types of accident reports to look for: one from the police that responded to and one from the summer program. The police report will have the basics of what the officer saw at the scene, while the incident report from the summer program should have other details about where the field trip was and who was in charge.
- Medical records. Keep everything related to any medical care your child gets. That could involve ambulance records, emergency room paperwork, doctor’s notes, imaging results, prescriptions, and follow-up care. This will help document the extent of the injuries and connect them to the accident.
- Expenses and financial losses. Along the same lines, you want to keep track of any receipts, medical bills, medications, travel to appointments, medical equipment, and any income you lose because you have to care for your child.
While this information is certainly important to understanding what happened, the challenge is that you most likely weren’t there at the time of your child’s accident. That’s troubling enough on its own, but it also takes away the opportunity to get important things at the scene. Thankfully, there’s still ways to get what you need from that part of the accident. Try to focus on:
- Pictures/videos. While you can’t take them yourself, there should be some visual record of what the scene looked like right after the accident. This can be found in the police report or the incident report from the program.
- Information from people who were there. Since you weren’t there, you’ll be relying on what others saw and heard. That might be the driver, chaperones, mentors, or even other children. Their versions of events can help fill in the gaps.
Obviously, this is the type of thing no parent wants to face. But the reality is—despite everyone’s best efforts—there’s plenty of situations where your child could be injured during such a field trip. One way or the other, your family doesn’t have to deal with the aftermath on your own.
Get Help From CCD Law If Your Child is Injured in Idaho
Any situation that ends with your child getting injured is overwhelming and scary. Yet, as the story above shows, it can happen in the blink of an eye. That’s when our Idaho personal injury lawyers at Crary, Clark, and Domanico can step in and help you with:
- Breaking down your child’s rights and options in plain language
- Looking into what caused the accident and who might be responsible
- Gathering and organizing key evidence and information
- Handling the back-and-forth with insurance companies, schools, or government agencies
Your focus should stay where it naturally is—your child’s recovery and getting life back to normal. Our team will be there to guide you and your family through it all. Set up a free consultation today.