Crash near Sandpoint kills 1, injures 3

A 44-year-old woman died and three other people were hospitalized Sunday evening after a car wreck on U.S. Highway 95 in Sandpoint. Around 5:40 p.m., Jacqualyn S. Decker merged southbound onto the highway and drove her Toyota pickup into oncoming traffic to pass other merging vehicles, according to the Idaho State Police. The truck hit a Subaru sedan carrying 19-year-olds Makayla L. Sundquist, of Kootenai, Idaho, and Fumiko Tukimori of Japan. Then, a Nissan sedan driven by Autumn Scarlett-Karlac, 36, rear-ended the Subaru. The three cars stopped in the middle of the highway, blocking traffic for two and a half hours. Decker, of Sagle, Idaho, died and was taken to Coffelt Funeral Service. The ISP said she had not been wearing a seat belt. Sundquist, of Kootenai, Idaho, was taken to Kootenai Health. Her passenger, Tukimori, of Japan, and Scarlett-Karlac, of Seattle, were taken to Bonner General Hospital. Officers from the ISP, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Sandpoint and Ponderay police departments responded to the crash. An incident report from the ISP did not indicate if drugs or alcohol were involved.