Car plunges off highway and kills family of 4 in Idaho. ‘Nothing will ever be the same’
A family of four was killed when their car plunged 30 feet from a highway and flipped into a river in Idaho, authorities said.
Now family members are speaking out about losing their loved ones.
Calvin “CJ” Miller, 36 was on a road trip with his three children, Dakota Miller, 17; Jack Miller, 10; and Delilah Miller, 8, from Spokane, Washington, when they crashed, police said.
The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office said they think 17-year-old Dakota Miller fell asleep when she was driving and struck a pile of rocks, which sent the car into the air, KSAZ-TV reported based on an accident report.
“The vehicle struck another large pile of rocks, flipping the vehicle over end and landing upside down in the Salmon River,” deputies said in the report obtained by the news outlet.
Water filled the vehicle after it flew 30 feet from the highway, causing the family to drown, USA Today reported citing authorities.
An angler found their bodies inside the vehicle on June 10 in the Salmon River by milepost 199, north of Riggins, authorities said.
“I just dropped to my knees ... I just started crying,” Zella Blair, the mother of Jack and Delilah Miller, told KREM. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
Blair told the news outlet she dropped her two children off with their father, who had plans to take the pair and his oldest daughter to see his grandfather, the news outlet reported. But the family crashed before making it.
“Nothing will ever be the same,” Blair told KAYU. “I just want my kids back.”
CJ Miller left behind his “soon-to-be fiancee,” and her step-father talked to KHQ-TV about losing the family.
“They were just the best kids,” Scott Henri told the news outlet. “They were just too good, too good for this place.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Car plunges off highway and kills family of 4 in Idaho. ‘Nothing will ever be the same’."
