SODA SPRINGS — A man has been charged in a fatal car crash that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old teen and injured two others on April 27.
Hayden Koller, 19, is charged with felony vehicular manslaughter and two felony aggravated DUI.
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If Koller is found guilty, he faces a potential punishment of 45 years in prison.
According to court documents, at around 1:30 a.m., a trooper with Idaho State Police was dispatched to aid Caribou County deputies in a single-vehicle crash.
The crash occurred on the Government Dam Road and China Cap Road.
When the trooper arrived, deputies and EMS attempted to rescue three passengers from a 2007 GMC Sierra that was about 30 feet off the road.
The documents state Emma Vario, 17, was trapped inside the vehicle in the front passenger seat and succumbed to her injuries.
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A 19-year-old man was in the back driver’s side passenger seat and had to be removed from the upside-down vehicle. He was transported via air ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center.
The documents state he suffered a right knee dislocation and a closed fracture of the fifth vertebra. He was later taken to Utah for more medical treatment.
A 20-year-old woman was in the middle back passenger seat and was transported to Caribou Medical Center. She sustained a broken left and right ankle, fractured vertebrae, and stitches on her right index finger. She had also sustained glass cuts and bruises all over her body.
According to the documents, Koller was outside of the vehicle sitting on the side of the road. The trooper spoke with him and he stated the group was returning to Soda Springs from a bonfire.
The 19-year-old told the trooper that the group was talking, and he turned to look at the back seat when the vehicle went off the road.
The document states the trooper reported the smell of alcohol coming from Koller and his eyes were glossy.
The trooper asked Koller if he’d consumed any alcohol, and he told the deputy he’d taken two Fireball shots.
Koller had agreed to give a breath sample and was tested twice. Each test took three samples, and the second test showed he had a blood alcohol content of .093.
Koller was later taken to Caribou Medical Center.
The 20-year-old woman was interviewed later at the hospital and told the trooper about the events leading up to the crash.
She told the deputy she remembered seeing Koller drink a “couple” of Pabst Blue Ribbons at the campfire and that she recalled seeing Koller have a Fireball shot earlier in the night.
As Koller drove them back to Soda Springs, she remembered Koller speeding and swerving.
The document states that the woman told Koller to slow down or to let another person drive but was told “No, I got this.”
She told the deputy that Koller had begun to speed and swerve again.
She remembered seeing the speedometer at 70 mph and the vehicle approaching a curve ahead sign on the road. After that, she told the trooper they went off the road.
Koller was scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge David Cousin at 9 a.m. on May 8 for a preliminary hearing, but it was vacated. According to court records, an order for competency evaluation and to stay proceedings was filed on May 14.
Koller is not scheduled for any new court hearings as of June 13.
Though Koller has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
