Man in Monday morning fatal crash near Moscow identified

Joel Sams is the 40-year-old Lewiston man who died in a Monday morning car crash south of Moscow.

His name was identified in a death notice from Malcom’s Brower-Wann Funeral Home.

The collision occurred around 10:30 a.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 95 near Eid Road, according to a news release from the Idaho State Police Department.

Law enforcement discovered a 40-year-old man driving a blue 2001 Ford Focus was traveling northbound when he approached stopped traffic because of construction.

The vehicle swerved, struck the side of a white 2021 Chevrolet Silverado and drove off the right shoulder down an embankment.

The Ford Focus driver apparently was not wearing a seat belt and sustained severe injuries in the crash, according to the news release. He was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced deceased.

A GoFundMe account has been created to raise money for Sams’ family to transport his body to his home country. It can be found at gofund.me/9ed9ba5b.