Woman mourns loss of sister in crash on I-84

JEROME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) – A highway accident last week left a local woman dead. KMVT reached out to the victim's family as well as the Idaho State Police for the latest information.

“When the accident happened, she was on the phone with the control center,” says Kassie Knapp.

It was last Tuesday when Kassie Knapp woke up to a call that her sister, Samantha Smith, had died in a crash on I-84 in Jerome County. According to Knapp, Samantha was on her way to Mountain Home when her car broke down and then a tractor-trailer hit her.

“I just remember falling to the ground like I didn’t believe it could be real,” Knapp says.

According to Idaho State Police, the accident that killed Samantha remains under investigation. However, court documents state that ISP obtained dashcam footage from the semi-truck company and that the footage allegedly shows Samantha with the hazard lights on her car.

The footage also showed that the driver of the semi-truck neither braked nor swerved to avoid the vehicle. ISP now places particular emphasis on driver safety, especially in construction sites.

“When we talk to semi-truck drivers, they know they are much larger and take longer to stop. “So it’s very important for them to really look forward,” says Sergeant Benjamin Foster. “Not just a few hundred feet, but they have to watch half a mile further to see what happens.”

On the day of the crash, KMVT spoke with Trooper Scott Pop about the driver's safety. “You need to slow down, pay attention and be aware of your surroundings,” Pope said. “We don't have a lot of space out here, it's very tight, we have people working on the side of the road doing construction here, so everyone has to be careful when they come into construction zones.”

Knapp tells KMVT that her sister leaves behind two children – a son and a daughter. She says the family is currently working on funeral arrangements.

“We were always there for each other, so it’s a shame that she won’t be there anymore,” says Knapp.

If you would like to donate to the family's GoFundMe account for Samantha's funeral, click here.

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