Post Falls residents die in I-90 crash

A two-vehicle wreck Tuesday morning on Interstate 90 near milepost 41.5, between Kingston and Cataldo resulted in the death of Benjamin M. Mullican, 39, and Korie L. Mullican, 36, both of Post Falls.

According to an Idaho State Police news release, at 10:32 a.m. Benjamin was driving eastbound on I-90 when he lost control of his green Nissan Pathfinder. The SUV crossed through the center median and collided with a semi truck travelling westbound on I-90.

After colliding with the Pathfinder, the semi went through the median and crossed the two lanes of eastbound traffic before crashing into the dense trees. The semi truck came to a stop a few hundred feet west from the Pathfinder, facing west.

The white truck and trailer, with "Rossdown Farms" marking its door, stopped off the south shoulder of I-90's eastbound lanes. The cab of the truck was buried in the dense trees with its trailer visible before the tree line.

Philip N. Giesbrecht, 58, was driving the truck with passenger John D. Giesbrecht, 72, both of Abbotsford, B.C., Canada. Both Philip and John were uninjured in the wreck.

As state troopers worked the scene, Mullican's 1997 Pathfinder remained in the center median, between east and westbound lanes of traffic. The SUV sat upright with its roof removed as part of the extraction process.

Westbound traffic was at a standstill on I-90 for roughly one hour from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. When traffic began moving again, around 12:30, a line of cars and trucks lined the westbound right lane back to the top of Kingston Hill and beyond.

The wreck forced ISP to block the roadway for 6 hours throughout Tuesday morning and afternoon as troopers cleared the road and investigated the cause of the accident. ISP determined the cause of the wreck was a result of icy road conditions.

According to the ISP news release, all parties were wearing their seat belts at the time of the accident.