Crash claims toddler's life

By KEITH KINNAIRD

News editor

PRIEST RIVER — A 3-year-old riding in a tractor-trailer was killed Tuesday in a crash on Highway 57 south of Priest Lake.

Idaho State Police said Kenneth C. Abey was driving northbound when he went off the east side of the highway. The 1990 Kenworth he was driving went down a 10-foot embankment and struck several trees.

The boy riding in the cab with died at the scene. State police withheld the child’s name, although he is identified in a Lakeview Funeral Home death notice as Abey’s son, Carson.

It was unclear on Wednesday if either occupant was wearing a seat belt or other type of safety restraint, ISP said.

Kenneth Abey, 25, of Sagle, was taken to Newport Community Hospital. Friends and family said he was in serious condition in an intensive-care unit, according to a post on an online fundraising website. His condition appeared to be improving on Wednesday.

The crash occurred shortly after 10 a.m., about 20 miles north of Priest River.

An online account has been established to help the family cope with medical and other costs (www.gofundme.com/ag3wlk). The funeral home has also set up an online memorial (www.lakeviewfuneral.com).

Carson Abey is the fifth person to die in an automotive collision in Bonner County in 2014.