Man charged with vehicular manslaughter after driver died in 2023 crash
Published at | Updated at
TETONIA — A 34-year-old man has been charged for allegedly killing an Idaho Falls man after driving recklessly on snow-covered roads and causing a head-on crash.
Isaul Sanchez, of St. Anthony, is charged with felony vehicular manslaughter. Brian Wright, 52, was killed.
The crash happened on Jan. 27, 2023 on Idaho Highway 33 around 7 a.m. at milepost 131 in Teton County.
RELATED | Man killed, 3 rushed to hospital following crash on Highway 33
RELATED | Man killed in crash remembered as ‘happy, genuine light who will be missed’
A snowplow was the lead vehicle in a line of cars, traveling eastbound, according to Idaho State Police. Sanchez was reportedly driving a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado pickup and attempted to pass the line of cars. Wright was driving a 2017 Ford commercial box truck traveling westbound.
As the Chevrolet was in the oncoming lane of travel, it hit the Ford head-on. The Chevrolet then spun, and hit a 2010 Toyota Yaris, driven by a 56-year-old man from Teton, Idaho State Police said.
All drivers of the vehicles were wearing seatbelts. Wright died at the scene.
Court documents
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Idaho State Police, a driver involved in the crash told a trooper he was in a line of cars following a snowplow. He saw the Chevrolet speed past him attempting to pass the line of cars.
He said he saw the vehicle collide head-on with the Ford and then spin and hit him on the front driver-side fender, causing him to go off the road, court documents said.
Sanchez and his two adult passengers were transported by ground ambulance to Teton Valley Hospital in Driggs. A trooper went there and took a blood draw from Sanchez.
In April 2023, the blood results came back from the Idaho State Police Lab for Sanchez and no illegal substances were present at the time of the crash.
In October 2023, a trooper reviewed the completed crash reconstruction report and agreed with the findings.
The findings included that at the time of the crash, it was dark outside, and the road was covered with snow. Sanchez began to pass multiple vehicles in severely reduced visibility due to snow conditions. He was “operating the vehicle in a reckless manner” with his speed and passing, putting himself, his passengers, and other drivers at risk.
“Sanchez’s reckless driving resulted in a head-on collision with Wright,” documents said.
The case was then handed over to the Teton County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
The criminal charge was filed in May. An arrest warrant was issued and law enforcement was having trouble finding Sanchez, according to Teton County Prosecutor Bailey Smith. She said Sanchez ended up finding out about the case and hired counsel. The warrant was quashed and he was summoned to court.
EastIdahoNews.com asked Smith why it took so long to file the case after ISP handed it over months ago.
Smith said the majority of the delay was due to her office being overwhelmed with felony cases, and they could not get to it at the time.
“We couldn’t get to it for that many months, which of course, saddens me. I had to explain to the victims and it’s really tough when you have a family that has a deceased family member,” she said.
Smith added that she is the only person in her office handling felony cases.
Sanchez appeared in court on Wednesday and is expected to have a preliminary hearing on Aug. 7 at 1:30 p.m. in the Teton County courthouse.
Though Sanchez has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.