Letter to the Editor

Good morning/afternoon Elmore County residents and Mountain Home Newspaper subscribers/readers,

Please give me the liberty to green-light a mixture of comments and factual information that occurred on Wednesday, December 13th, 2023, in the City of Gooding, Idaho. Timeframe: 5:00-5:15 p.m.

After gathering with friends (Gooding), to celebrate the holiday season together, I realized the darkness of the night rapidly came upon us. At that moment, I briefed my friends that I must leave to return home to my residence in GF (Glenns Ferry). As I began driving southbound on Main Street (Gooding), I witnessed firsthand an incident involving a hit-and-run; pedestrian vs a vehicle. An elderly gentleman (82 years) was attempting to cross the street in a marked pedestrian crosswalk while the yellow flashing light ‘Pedestrian Crossing’ flashed giving a warning to all drivers. The victim was wearing a bright-colored lime jacket that included white striping markings for his safety. The driver (person of interest) was in the far left-hand lane, while I was in the far right-hand lane- nose to nose. The speed limit is posted at 25 mph; neither the person of interest, nor I violated the posted speed law. This person of interest was behind the wheel of a full-size white pickup truck. Once I observed the pedestrian inside the boundary lines of the crosswalk, I came to a crawl (if you will), giving the right of way to the pedestrian until he safely made it across the street.

This 82-year-old male (victim) was then hit by the driver of the white pickup truck. The injured victim immediately fell to the ground upon impact by the person of interest who (after physically assaulting a pedestrian) drove on ‘leaving the scene’ driving southbound.

This threw me into shock; literally and figurately. I immediately honked my vehicle horn numerous times to attempt to provide the driver (white pickup truck ) with a pullover/stop and assist the injured pedestrian. The 82-year-old victim lay inside the crosswalk not making any physical moves. After witnessing this incident, my first thought was to follow the white pickup truck and get his license plate number to provide to LE (law enforcement) authorities. I elected to do my very best (former/retired) First-First Responder; 9-1-1 dispatcher with the City of Missoula, Montana Police Department. Next, I threw on my emergency flashers, disengaged my vehicle engine, safely stepped outside of my vehicle, and stood strong and tall in the middle of both streets while waving my hands giving warnings to drivers (north/southbound) to come to a halt; they complied. I loudly requested ‘Someone call 9-1-1 immediately!’ As I began safely approaching the victim lying in the crosswalk to inquire about his condition, a male adult Good Samaritan was bent down beside the victim while on his cell phone with 9-1-1. At this time I heard Good Samaritan ask the victim his age. Once I heard the victim’s voice, I knew he was still alive; Thank You, Jesus!

I walked back towards the other vehicles, folks standing around observing, and (again) loudly stated: ‘Does anyone have a blanket to place over the injured person?’ Three (3) came to the rescue with blankets. At about that time, both the emergency ambulance and Gooding City Police arrived at the scene. This injured gentleman was compassionately/safely loaded on emergency equipment to be transported to a hospital. The lead officer (City of Gooding Police Department) is G. Morrell, a young man of approximately age mid-twenties.

Officer Morrell asked if I would fill out a statement. (me): ‘Absolutely.’ And I hope to God I’m subpoenaed to testify in a court of law if/when Person of Interest is located/arrested/charged to the full extent of the law!

Please be cognizant and diligent 24/7 - 365. Lastly, regardless of your religious affiliations, please whisper a little prayer for the 82-year-old victim as his condition is not for public dissemination (at this time), and is still under investigation.

Rhonda O’Hanley

GF