Emergency helicopter air ambulance stock image file photo

RUPERT — A wrong-way driver caused a head-on crash on State Highway 24 west of Rupert Wednesday night that sent a man in the other vehicle to the hospital via air ambulance, according to Idaho State Police.

The crash happened around 9:44 p.m. when a 47-year-old Rupert man driving a 2014 Subaru Legacy was traveling the wrong way — northbound in the southbound lanes of the highway — and collided head-on with a 2017 Hyundai Elantra driven by a 40-year-old Burley man traveling southbound, state police said.

The Elantra's driver was airlifted via emergency helicopter to a local hospital, while the Legacy's driver was taken to the hospital by ground ambulance, state police said. The accident victims' names and conditions have not been released.

The highway was partially blocked for about three hours as crews worked the scene.

Idaho State Police were assisted by the Minidoka County Sheriff's Office, Rupert Police Department, East End Fire Department, LifeFlight, Heyburn Police Department and the Idaho Department of Transportation.

The crash remains under investigation by state police.

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