21-year-old dies in freak accident

Small towns — by nature — are close-knit.

So when tragedy strikes, the community, in one way or another, feels the grief.

The sorrow for two Bonners Ferry families hit hard last weekend. A popular 21-year-old Bonners Ferry High School graduate had died from a freak accident.

Amy Farrell’s boyfriend, who was with her at the time of the 2 a.m. Saturday accident, survived. Kevin Dinning, 25, must now live with the memory of that fateful night.

A memorial service for Farrell, an aspiring model, singer and actress who had returned home from Los Angeles for the holiday season, will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, in Becker Auditorium at Bonners Ferry High School.

Farrell died five hours after falling over an Arizona Street railroad overpass retaining wall at the bottom of the South Hill near Boundary County Library in Bonners Ferry. Her boyfriend,  the son of Boundary County Commissioner Dan Dinning, suffered minor injuries.

“I accept, though it’s difficult, that this was Amy’s time to go,” said her father Joe Farrell, a Bonners Ferry Realtor. “Our memories of Amy are all good. She was a beautiful soul and a shining light that we were blessed to have in our lives for 21 years.”

The Dinning family feels its own pain.

“Amy was just such a joy for our family,” said Dinning. “She was a wonderful person. It has been amazing to see all the lives that Amy has touched all over the world. Her happiness and joy just shined through in everything she did. We have a deep belief in the Lord and that is carrying us through. We know that she is a believer also and is in a much, much better place. Our hearts go out to the Farrells, they are a great family.”

Farrell and Dinning were walking down the South Hill bypass to catch a ride with friends. They climbed over the railing beside the sidewalk and the embankment that goes to the railroad tracks. They fell over a 16-foot retaining wall, landing near the railroad tracks.

Farrell was taken to Boundary Community Hospital and transferred to Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d' Alene.

Farrell died during surgery from numerous injuries, according to Kootenai County Coroner Dr. Robert West.

Police could not comment if alcohol was a factor in the accident but did say an investigation will continue, according to deputy chief Joel Minor.

Childhood friend Osa Orison traveled from Utah to be here for Farrell’s funeral.

“A good friend of mine passed,” he said. “I wanted to be here for her and everyone that loved her.”

“It was her happiness,” Orison said about Farrell. “I never saw her not happy. She was just a positive person and her outlook on life touched everyone.”

A 2005 graduate of Bonners Ferry High School, Amy Farrell moved to California shortly after graduation to pursue a career in modeling, acting and singing.

“It was more than a tragic loss,” said Dave Gray, a former teacher of Farrell’s. “It is a catastrophic loss. She had the ability to make changes and differences in the world. I had her in class and I saw how she operated in a classroom setting and outside. She was a people person. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw the article in today’s paper.”