A four-vehicle pileup on Highway 33 near Terreton in Jefferson County sent three drivers to the hospital Monday morning, prompting a two-hour lane closure and an ongoing investigation by the Idaho State Police.
The crash happened just before 8:40 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 33 and North 1300 East. According to investigators, a black 2023 Freightliner traveling eastbound struck the rear of a silver Honda Accord that was also heading east. The impact from that collision pushed both vehicles into the westbound lanes, where they collided with a silver 2000 Dodge Caravan and a white 2018 Chevrolet Silverado traveling in the opposite direction.
Three Drivers Hospitalized, Conditions Not Released
All three injured drivers were transported by ground ambulance to area medical facilities. The driver of the Honda Accord was identified as a 27-year-old Idaho Falls man. The Dodge Caravan was operated by a 72-year-old Idaho Falls man, and the Chevrolet Silverado was driven by a 44-year-old man from Pocatello. As of the latest information available, the conditions of all three individuals had not been publicly released by authorities.
Notably, all drivers involved in the crash were wearing seat belts at the time of the collision — a detail investigators confirmed. While the severity of injuries remains unclear, the use of restraints is widely credited by safety officials with reducing fatality rates in high-impact crashes of this nature.
The driver of the Freightliner was not reported among those hospitalized, though the full details of any injuries to other occupants were not provided.
Highway Blocked for Two Hours During Emergency Response
Both lanes of Highway 33 were blocked for roughly two hours as emergency personnel worked the scene. The closure affected travel through a stretch of Jefferson County that serves as a key corridor connecting communities in the upper Snake River plain, including Terreton and the surrounding agricultural areas.
Highway 33 is a heavily traveled route through East Idaho, linking communities north of Idaho Falls and extending through Jefferson and Fremont counties. Multi-vehicle crashes along rural stretches of this corridor can create significant traffic disruptions, particularly during morning commute hours when freight and passenger traffic overlap.
Idaho State Police are continuing to investigate the precise cause of the crash. No citations or charges were announced as of the time of reporting.
Summer Road Safety Concerns Across East Idaho
The crash comes during a period of heightened concern for public safety across the region. East Idaho has seen a series of emergency incidents in recent weeks driven by dry conditions and elevated fire danger. A Red Flag Warning covering the Upper Snake River Valley raised alarms over extreme fire risk, underscoring the broader range of hazards residents face heading into the heart of summer.
Transportation safety advocates consistently point to rural highways — where speed limits are higher, emergency response times are longer, and multi-vehicle chain-reaction crashes can escalate quickly — as areas requiring increased driver attention. Rear-end collisions involving large commercial trucks are particularly dangerous due to the significant difference in vehicle size and momentum.
Drivers traveling through Jefferson County and surrounding areas are encouraged to maintain safe following distances, especially around commercial freight vehicles, and to remain alert to changing traffic conditions along two-lane rural highways.
What Comes Next
Idaho State Police are expected to continue their investigation into what caused the Freightliner to strike the Honda Accord, with a formal determination of fault and any potential citations to follow. The conditions of the three hospitalized drivers had not been updated at the time of publication. Authorities may release additional details as the investigation progresses.
Anyone with information about the crash or who witnessed the collision on Highway 33 near Terreton is encouraged to contact the Idaho State Police.