PONDERAY — The community is rallying to help after a two-vehicle crash earlier this week left multiple people hospitalized with a GoFundMe page created for two young girls remaining in the intensive care unit.

The youths were injured Feb. 11 in the collision, which was reported about 8 p.m. near Colburn Cutoff Road. 

“On arrival, paramedics encountered multiple patients with critical injuries, including pediatric patients,” a Facebook post from Bonner County EMS said. “[The] EMS supervisor notified [Bonner County Sheriff’s Office] dispatch that this was an MCI — mass casualty incident …”

Due to the poor weather conditions, EMS staff said LifeFlight was unable to send a helicopter to transport victims of the crash, but they did send a crew to assist in ground transportation. Additionally, LifeFlight provided a fixed-wing crew to transport one of the critical pediatric patients from the airport. A total of five patients — three in critical condition and two with moderate injuries — were transported from the crash, with most of them eventually being transferred out to other hospitals via Bonner County EMS and LifeFlight crews.

Christopher Lee Josephson, the driver of the vehicle that was struck and the father of two girls involved in the accident, posted an update on the incident.

“Sunday evening, we were returning home from a friend's house on Highway 95 headed southbound,” he said. “There was about three inches of wet snow and it was snowing, so our speed was approximately 45 [miles per hour]. It was a two-mile trip and everybody was buckled up.”

Josephson said a truck headed northbound turned sideways in its lane, pointing headfirst into the southbound lane, where Josephson’s vehicle was traveling. While he said he tried his hardest to slow down and avoid the oncoming truck, the slick roads made that impossible.

The two girls in the vehicle were both flown by medical helicopter to Spokane while Josephson said he was admitted to Bonner General Health.

“Please pray for these two amazing and wonderful humans as they are fighting to recover with the help of Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital,” he said. “Their mom has been able to be there with them and I am hopefully to be there sooner than later.”

One of the girls has woken up and is talking; she is expected to be released from the hospital in the next 10 days. The other girl, however, is still in a medically-induced coma so surgeons can perform multiple surgeries over the next few days. She is expected to remain hospitalized for another few weeks while she recovers, Josephson said.

“Thank you to everyone who has been sending prayers, love and light and those helping in so many different ways,” he said. “You are all loved and appreciated.”

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family with the girls’ medical expenses. In an update posted on the page, it was reported that Josephson was released from the hospital yesterday and was able to visit his daughters in Spokane. He is still recovering from six broken ribs, a shattered ankle and severely damaged tendons in his arm.

“He did everything he could do to avoid the oncoming car to protect our children, but still feels so helpless [that] his babies are so injured and helpless,” Patricia McDowell, the girls’ mother, said. “I am so thankful they all survived the crash. These girls are my entire world and without them, I am nothing. We have a long recovery ahead of us …”

To donate to help the family, visit the GoFundMe page at bit.ly/48hYEaa.