A routine afternoon drive on a winding Idaho highway turned deadly this week when a pickup truck driver’s decision to overtake another vehicle ended in a head-on collision that wiped out an entire group of motorcyclists in seconds.
Neale Brewer, 60, now faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter after Idaho State Police say she crossed a double yellow line in a posted no-passing zone while driving her 2019 Ford F-150 westbound on U.S. Highway 12 near Kooskia on Tuesday afternoon.
The stretch of highway, hemmed in by a river on one side and steep mountain terrain on the other, left little room for error. Three motorcyclists traveling in the opposite direction — 35-year-old Ethan Powers, 45-year-old Jeremy Coleman, and 26-year-old Nathan McCormick — never had a chance to react.
All three riders were pronounced dead at the scene. The Idaho County Coroner’s Office is still working to determine the official cause and manner of death for each victim.
Investigators say Brewer was attempting to pass a vehicle ahead of her when the truck crossed into oncoming traffic, striking the riders almost instantly. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment following the crash. Once medically cleared, she was booked into the Idaho County Jail, where she remains held without bond.
The collision shut down a six-hour stretch of U.S. Highway 12 as crash investigators and evidence teams worked the scene, snarling travel through the rural corridor for hours.
Kooskia sits roughly 220 miles north of Boise, in a part of north-central Idaho known for its scenic but unforgiving mountain roads — routes popular with motorcyclists but notoriously punishing for any driver error.
The case remains under active investigation, and additional charges have not been ruled out as authorities continue to review the circumstances surrounding the fatal pass.
Have you been part of this story? Like and follow for updates on this developing case.
