Another fatal wreck on U.S. 95

Deadly crashes are occurring at an unprecedented pace along the stretch of U.S. 95 between Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint. In the past 15 years, this rural route has seen three fatal accidents in a single year only twice — once in 2020, and now in 2025. But this year is just a few months old. 

The most recent fatality occurred on April 14 in a fiery three-car collision in the 495000 block of U.S. 95 in Boundary County. Bob Copeland, 50, of Naples, was killed in the crash, and his 13-year-old son was airlifted to an area hospital with internal bleeding and a fractured pelvis, according to mother Maygen Reid in a 9b News report. 

Copeland was rear-ended heading south from Bonners Ferry, which forced his Chevrolet pickup truck into the northbound lane, where it collided with a Honda pickup truck and burst into flames, according to the Idaho State Police report. The passenger in the Honda, a 72-year-old woman from Coeur d’Alene, sustained unspecified injuries and was taken to an area hospital via ambulance. 

“Bob was the love of my life, and I would give anything to get him back,” Reid said. “Not just for myself but for that boy in the ICU fighting. He was his best buddy. I ask for prayers at this time for my son and Bob’s family.” 

Just weeks before Monday’s crash, two other fatal accidents occurred on the same stretch of U.S. 95 in the span of five days. 

On March 9, a driver that police determined may have been alcohol-impaired swerved off U.S. 95 and fatally crashed into a pond just north of Sandpoint.   Local emergency personnel respond to a March 14 head-on collision on Highway 95 near Samuels. The crash was one of two fatal accidents on the roadway in Bonner County. in one week.

Then on March 14 near Samuel’s Store, just eight miles south of the April 14 crash, an Athol driver drifted into oncoming traffic with his seatbelt unbuckled and fatally collided head-on with a semi-truck, according to the ISP report. 

Highway enforcement expands; sheriff calls for driver accountability 

Boundary County Sheriff Travis Stolley said that over the past two months, he has directed deputies to be a greater presence on U.S. 95 to deter speeding and distracted driving. The goal is not to meet a ticket quota, but to educate drivers, he said. 

But with a limited staff tasked with policing the expansive, rural county, deputies cannot patrol the highway around the clock, Stolley said. 

    Rural crashes involving critical injury often require an airlift from Life Flight.

“Every time a crash happens, I take it personally because it’s our job to protect the community, but ultimately, we can only do so much as law enforcement,” he said. “It’s up to drivers to make responsible decisions. This is absolutely a tragedy. These things are preventable. Everybody as a society seems to be in a hurry. This highway has been around for so many years. Eventually, it’s not the highway’s fault.” 

ISP is also limited in its patrol capabilities on U.S. 95 because a statewide shortage has caused many North Idaho troopers to relocate south. Currently, District 1 is operating at only 50% of its allotted staffing level, said ISP Director Colonel Bill Gardiner while meeting with Idaho legislators in February. 

“Both Boundary and Bonner County have large territorial areas to cover, and law enforcement can’t be everywhere at once,” said Boundary County Prosecuting Attorney Andrakay Pluid. “Citizen complaints when you witness aggressive driving are always welcome by Boundary County, and I recently prosecuted an unsafe passing citation signed by a citizen where the driver was found guilty.” 

As far as changes to the road itself, Boundary County Undersheriff Brian Zimmerman said he does not expect the Idaho Department of Transportation to take action in the near future.

"What we really need to see is four lanes on the highway from here to Coeur d'Alene," he said. "But we're not going to see that happen in my lifetime."

Zimmerman added that he does not expect to see a reduction in the speed limit because freight lobbyists would push back against slowing down commercial trucks. 

When, why accidents happen 

Historically, the last two months of summer and the first two months of snowfall see the highest accident report rates in Boundary and Bonner counties, according to Idaho Transportation Department records.  

The former can be attributed namely to increased traffic, and the latter to drivers adjusting to poor road conditions. 

The three fatal crashes over the past five weeks happened during what has historically been the safest time of year to drive, according to ITD records. Over the last decade, spring has accounted for just 17.5% of reported crashes in Boundary County — the lowest of any season.

 Graphic by NED NEWTON

But the three deadly crashes in the first two months of spring 2025 now represent the highest number of traffic fatalities in any season along the stretch of U.S. 95 between Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry since ITD began recording data in 2008. 

And moving forward into summer, conditions will become a greater challenge. 

“As we head into our next tourism season, more and more folks will be visiting our area who may not be familiar with our roads,” Selkirk Fire, Rescue & EMS Chief Jeff Armstrong said in response to the March fatal crashes. 

In the long-run, U.S. 95 traffic is expected to continue increasing, with ITD estimating a regional increase by 64% between 2022 and 2045. 

“Every death is a call to action,” Stolley said. “We all feel that.”