Man arrested for 2022 rollover crash that caused death of 24-year-old passenger
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS – A 25-year-old has been arrested over two years after a 2022 rollover crash that killed a 24-year-old.
Austin Eric Christensen was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter on Feb. 13. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to Bonneville County prosecutor Randy Neal, there were delays in the investigation, causing a lengthier-than-usual amount of time between the crash and the arrest.
Around 5 a.m. on Jan. 16, 2022, an Idaho Falls Police officer was called to investigate a rollover crash on Snake River Parkway after the driver called 911, saying his passenger was injured and unresponsive.
According to court documents, officers found a silver 2008 4-door Toyota Tacoma east of the parkway in a grass field and noticed debris from the truck and nearby trees scattered along the road.
The front passenger, identified as 24-year-old Isaac Flores, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene.
RELATED | Man killed in Idaho Falls crash
Christensen was taken by ambulance to EIRMC and consented to provide a blood sample. Neal says Christensen’s blood alcohol level was .214 – over two and a half times the legal limit.
During a walkthrough of the scene, officers reportedly found cans of Bud Light on the ground and in the truck. According to police, “some of the cans were still closed and full, some appeared to be open with fluid inside, and some empty.”
After investigation, officers say the truck was driving northbound on Snake River Parkway when it veered out of its lane and drove onto the road’s center divider.
According to court documents, the driver’s side tires went onto the raised divider and traveled about 183 feet before hitting a tree. Officers say there “were no indications in the grass and raised divider that the driver tried to slow down the vehicle.”
The tree then broke off and landed on the front driver’s side of the truck above the headlight area. The truck continued driving another forty-eight feet before returning toward the northbound lane. The tree fell off the truck and landed on the road.
When Christensen turned the wheel to go back in the direction of the road, officers say the tires became separated from the rim. This caused the driver’s side wheels to become “gouged into the roads surface.”
RELATED | Death notice for Isaac Flores
Officers say this caused the truck to spin clockwise and hit a “hard, frozen ice and snow mixture that had been plowed to the east side of the road from a prior snowstorm.”
This impact caused the truck to “leave the ground and start to roll in midair.” While in the air, the truck hit another tree, breaking it off at ground level.
The truck then landed on the passenger side, on top of a fire hydrant that impacted the rear passenger door and back of the cab.
The truck then went airborne again after coming off the fire hydrant and continued to roll, eventually coming to rest facing east, forty-three feet from the hydrant. According to police reports, Christensen and Flores had seatbelts on during the crash.
On Jan. 17, the officer contacted Christensen and asked him about the crash. Christensen told police he and Flores had met at a bar, went to second bar, and then to a friend’s house.
Christensen was reportedly taking Flores home from the friend’s house when the rollover happened. Court documents say Christensen was not injured other than a few scratches and minor cuts on his left hand.
Court records show Christensen was arrested on Tuesday and booked into the Bonneville County Jail with a bond of $75,000. He posted bail and was released the same day.
Christensen is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on March 12. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
Though Christensen has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.