Identity of man killed in rollover released

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The identify of the victims in a a single-vehicle crash that killed one man and critically injured another on Sunday, July 31, was released by authorities late Tuesday after nearly a full day in which their identities had not been known until family members called Monday to report them missing.

Killed was Jose Fernandez-Meza, 46, of Mountain Home. He was listed in an Elmore County Sheriff's Office press release as the passenger in the vehicle.

The owner of the vehicle, and presumably the driver, was identified as jose Feliciano Quezada-Duenas, 26, of the Glenns Ferry and Bruneau area.

Details of the accident are still being investigated by authorities, but alcohol remains a possible factor in the fatality.

The accident occurred around 4:30 a.m. as a Land Rover Discovery approached Loveridge bridge on State Highway 51 south of Mountain Home.

According to an initial investigation by the Elmore County Sheriff's Office, the vehicle left the roadway at least once before the driver lost control of the sport utility vehicle. It left the roadway and rolled over several times before it finally came to a stop.

Neither man was wearing a seatbelt before the accident and both were ejected from the vehicle as it rolled over, said Deputy John Heard, who was one of the deputies at the scene.

Feliciano Quezada-Duenas was flown by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, initially listed in critical condition.

Investigators at the scene reported they smelled the odor of alcohol on his breath and had blood drawn to determine if he was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Deputies at the scene were unable to immediately identify the deceased individual because they were unable to find any identification on him and the other victim was unconscious. They then searched the accident scene and were still unable to find a wallet or other means to identify him. It wasn't until Monday when family members called to report the men missing that authorities were able to confirm their identity.

Deputies also had a difficult time initially determining who was the driver and who was the passenger, due to the damage to the vehicle and where the bodies were found.

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  • Jose was a very nice fellow. He had been working for me this summer on my ranch and was living in a house there. He never complained and was always a hard worker. He has an adult son that I am seeing today about helping him get his dad back to Mexico. Really a sad deal.

    -- Posted by jaypzee on Thu, Aug 4, 2011, at 2:28 PM
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