Deputy rear-ends car, causes pileup after fireworks show

COEUR d'ALENE - A Kootenai County sheriff's deputy working on the Fourth of July rear-ended a vehicle in traffic following the fireworks show, causing a five-car pileup on U.S. 95.

Sheriff's deputy Dennis Stinebaugh was driving his cruiser northbound on U.S. 95 when he rear-ended a Toyota Tundra, driven by a Post Falls resident, north of Ironwood just after 11 p.m., as people were leaving downtown Coeur d'Alene following the fireworks finale, according to an Idaho State Police accident report.

The collision occurred in the stop-and-go traffic on the busy street, and three other cars north of the Tundra were hit after the collision, said Ron Sutton, ISP trooper who investigated the accident.

Only minor injuries were reported, and minimal medical attention was required. Stinebaugh suffered a sore wrist after his airbag deployed, Sutton said.

"It's just a case of inattention," Sutton said. "Police officers are human just like everyone else."

Three of the vehicles, including the Tundra, had to be towed due to damage. Alcohol wasn't a factor in the accident for any of the drivers, Sutton said, although the Post Falls driver who was rear-ended had consumed some alcohol, but it was ruled a non-factor after he passed a field sobriety test following the collision.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said Stinebaugh is uninjured and back at work, but couldn't comment on the investigation.