Man dead after train strikes semi-truck in Blaine County

BLAINE COUNTY – A man is dead following a collision between a train and a semi-truck on Friday.

The Bannock County Coroner’s Office has identified the man as 46-year-old Efrain Juarez-Ramirez of Rupert.

According to a news release from the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office, the crash happened around 2:32 p.m. on Dec. 29.

Investigators determined a 2015 white Freightliner semi-truck, owned by the 3 String Cattle Company, was being driven by Juarez-Ramirez with a 48-year-old female passenger.

The semi-truck was traveling southbound on Yale Road and failed to yield to the oncoming train at the crossing.

The Union Pacific train was traveling east and struck the passenger side of the semi-truck. Neither occupant of the truck was wearing a seatbelt, and both were ejected.

Photos of the crash | Blaine County Sheriff’s Office

They were each taken by air ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello with life-threatening injuries.

Juarez-Ramirez died from his injuries at the hospital. The passenger is listed in critical condition. No one on the train reported any injuries.

“The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Minidoka County Sheriff’s Office, Northside and East End Fire Departments’ Emergency Medical Services, Life Flight and Classic Air Ambulances, and Minidoka Memorial Hospital Emergency Response Services for their assistance in this incident,” states the release. “Although it occurred in Blaine County’s jurisdiction, due to the remote location and critical need for an immediate response, Minidoka County agencies took the lead on the crash and investigation. We are extremely grateful for their interagency cooperation.”