Authorities have identified the victims of two fatal crashes that struck Bear Lake County within roughly 24 hours of each other last week.
Jeffrey Wright, 71, of Ovid, died Thursday after the ATV he was riding overturned while swerving to avoid an oncoming van in Ovid. A day later, Charlie Despain, 22, of North Ogden, Utah, died after his motorcycle collided head-on with an SUV west of St. Charles.
Wright's crash happened around 11:12 a.m. Thursday on North Road just west of Johnson Road in Ovid, according to Idaho State Police. He was riding a 2014 Polaris Sportsman ATV eastbound on North Road when he abruptly swerved to avoid colliding with a 2021 GMC Savana van driven by a 22-year-old Nibley, Utah, man traveling westbound, state police said.
Wright's ATV went off the south side of the road, struck a concrete barrier and overturned, according to state police. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. Wright was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, authorities said. The GMC's driver was wearing a seat belt, state police said.
The following day, Despain's crash happened around 11:22 a.m. when he was riding a white 2026 Kawasaki KLX110 motorcycle eastbound on Minnetonka Cave Road and collided head-on with a tan 2005 Jeep Liberty driven by a 66-year-old Montpelier woman traveling westbound, state police said.
Despain was not wearing a helmet and died at the scene, according to state police. The road was blocked for about four hours as crews worked the scene. The Jeep's driver was not wearing a seat belt but did not require transport to the hospital, authorities said.
Both crashes remain under investigation by Idaho State Police.