A 36-year-old Spokane Valley man was killed on Thursday afternoon when his car crossed into the oncoming lane on State Highway 53 near Rathdrum and crashed head-on into a semi-truck, and both vehicles caught fire, the Idaho State Police said.

Source: Idaho State Police — District 1 release and Nov. 13 update

The crash happened at about 3:52 p.m. on November 12 on State Highway 53 near McGuire Road in Kootenai County, in northern Idaho. Police said a 2006 Acura TSX travelling westbound drove into the eastbound lane and crashed head-on into a 2026 Volvo semi-truck and trailer.

The driver of the Acura died of his injuries at the scene. The driver of the semi-truck, a 27-year-old man from Alberta, Canada, sustained minor injuries, police said.

Victim identified only by age and hometown

In an update issued on November 13, the Idaho State Police identified the man who died only as a 36-year-old from Spokane Valley, Washington, and said next of kin had been notified. His name was not released in the update.

State police were assisted at the scene by Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and the Idaho Transportation Department. The roadway was blocked for approximately four hours, with one lane of traffic opened intermittently throughout the investigation.

A busy link between Kootenai County and Spokane

State Highway 53 is the direct highway link between Rathdrum and the Post Falls area and the Washington state line, carrying commuters travelling to and from Spokane Valley as well as freight traffic moving between northern Idaho and eastern Washington. A four-hour blockage on this two-lane corridor pushes traffic onto local roads while investigators document the scene, as happened on Thursday, when one lane was opened only intermittently.

What happens next

The investigation is being handled by the Idaho State Police's District 1, based in Coeur d'Alene, which covers Kootenai County and the rest of northern Idaho. Further identification details and any findings on the cause of the crash are expected only as that investigation is completed.

For the many truck drivers who run this corridor — including cross-border drivers moving between Canada and the US Northwest — the crash underlines how quickly a single vehicle crossing the centre line on a two-lane highway can turn fatal, and why the semi driver in this case was fortunate to walk away with minor injuries.