BEAR LAKE COUNTY, Idaho — A detached wheel triggered a late-night, two-vehicle crash west of Ovid on Saturday, sending three people to the hospital via air ambulance, according to the Idaho State Police.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:06 p.m. on State Highway 36 near mile marker 32.
State police reported that a 22-year-old Idaho Falls man was driving a silver Jeep Wrangler westbound when the vehicle lost its front wheel. The loose wheel struck an eastbound red Hyundai Elantra driven by a 21-year-old man from Lovell, Wyoming.
The impact forced the Hyundai off the road, where it crashed into a tree.
The driver of the Hyundai and his two passengers, both 22-year-old women from Montpelier, Idaho, sustained injuries in the crash. Emergency crews initially transported all three occupants by ground ambulance before they were flown by air ambulance to a local hospital. Their current conditions have not been released.
The driver of the Jeep was not reported injured. Authorities noted that everyone involved in the crash was wearing a seatbelt.
The collision blocked all lanes of State Highway 36 for approximately six hours while crews cleared the scene. The crash remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police.