Responder and crash survivor reunite

RATHDRUM — Jamielyn Rupe grew up missing a mother and a sister due to a drunk driver.

Rupe was the lone survivor in a T-bone crash 20 years ago this year near Othello, Wash. She was 18 months old at the time and, amazingly, was not injured.

Tracy Rodgers, Rupe's 26-year-old mother, and Joshalyn Robinson, her 6-year-old sister, died in the accident.

"Even though I don't remember the crash, it's been a part of me my whole life," Rupe said.

Rathdrum Police Chief Kevin Fuhr, who was a deputy with the Adams County Sheriff's Office at the time, was among the first responders to the crash.

With all the details — from the road names to the time of the call to the driver's blood-alcohol content — still in his memory as if the crash occurred yesterday, Fuhr decided to try to find Rupe and see how she's doing and what she's been up to 20 years after the tragedy.

"I was watching a law enforcement TV show last year and my wife asked me what my most memorable moment was," he said. "I told her it was that crash. That crash has been with me since it happened. It is burned into my memory. So then I began to wonder whatever happened to Jamielyn."

Fuhr was unable to locate Rupe online or through social media, so Fuhr contacted Jim and Sharon Rodgers, Rupe's grandparents who still live in Othello. He got a jaw-dropping answer about where Rupe lives.

"I was driving at the time and I almost crashed my car when I was on the phone with Sharon and she told me that Jamielyn is living in Rathdrum," Fuhr said. "I had no idea that she was living in my backyard."

Rupe, who graduated from Lakeland High School in 2013, said she was stunned when Fuhr contacted her about a month ago.

"It was pretty shocking, but it was a good shock," she said. "My family has told me about the cops on scene and they seemed heroic. It was such an awesome coincidence."

Rupe said the accident and stories of the response prompted her to become an Idaho State Police dispatcher.

"It had a big impact on me choosing my career," she said. "I want to help get some people (such as drunk drivers) off the streets."

Fuhr spoke about the crash Rupe was involved in to Lakeland seniors on Friday following a mock crash to educate and remind the students of the dangers of drinking or texting while driving — an important message especially around graduation time.

At the end of his talk, Fuhr introduced Rupe, who was accompanied by her grandparents at the assembly.

Rupe elected to not speak during the emotional assembly, but during an interview with The Press she said she hopes students realize simple decisions by one person can have a ripple effect to many others for a lifetime.

"Activities can have an impact on people well into the future," said Rupe, who lives in Rathdrum with her father, Jay. "Think before you make such decisions. I grew up without my mom."

Juan Jose Alvarez admitted to drinking beer prior to the crash, pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and was sentenced to 54 months prison. Alvarez had failed to stop at a stop sign and was driving about 70 mph in a 50 mph zone, according to police.

Lakeland senior Maddison Stoddard said she had Rupe in her drama class three years ago, but never realized until Friday that Rupe had been involved in the crash.

Stoddard said the presentation had a stark impact on her.

"When I found out that I knew the person (Rupe), it really hit home," Stoddard said. "I didn't know that she had gone through that. It's definitely something I'll think about."

Fuhr said he never imagined the 18-month-old girl he was forced to cut from a carseat during the tragedy would be living in the same town as him, working as a police dispatcher who was with him at a student DUI assembly 20 years later.

"She's a great lady who is making a difference in people's lives," Fuhr said of Rupe.