COEUR d’ALENE — A jury acquitted a Washington man who was accused of driving while under the influence and causing a crash that killed a Benewah County man.

After a weeklong trial and about five hours of deliberation, jurors found Andres J. Hegdahl, 37, of Spokane Valley, not guilty of vehicular manslaughter and aggravated driving under the influence.

The charges stem from the afternoon of Nov. 22, 2022, when police said Hegdahl was traveling northbound on Highway 3, north of Harrison, crossed into the southbound lanes and crashed into a truck occupied by a 49-year-old St. Maries man and his 10-year-old son.

The St. Maries man died at the scene from his injuries, while his son sustained 13 fractures and a brain bleed. The crash left the boy with facial scars and ongoing pain from a broken ankle, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said a blood test showed that Hegdahl had multiple prescription medications in his system at the time of the crash, including Suboxone, Adderall and Valium. The combined medications impaired Hegdahl’s ability to drive, prosecuting attorney Katie Murdock argued.

“He should not have been driving,” she told jurors.

Investigators determined that Hegdahl did not attempt to brake before the crash, prosecutors said, while the other driver slowed down and slammed on his brakes before the impact, leaving skid marks on the road.

“As his last act in his life, (the other driver) tried to avoid this collision because he was sober,” Murdock said. “But he couldn’t avoid it because Mr. Hegdahl was in his lane. Mr. Hegdahl slammed into his truck and forced him off the roadway, where he died and his son lay feet from him, trapped and crying for help.”

Hegdahl told first responders that he “woke up” to airbags going off, prosecutors said.

Murdock argued that the comment indicated Hegdahl had nodded off before drifting into the southbound lane and colliding with the other vehicle, while Hegdahl’s attorney told jurors that his client briefly lost consciousness due to the impact of the crash.

Craig Zanetti, Hegdahl’s attorney, said first responders, Idaho State Police troopers and medical personnel at Kootenai Health did not indicate in their reports that Hegdahl appeared to be under the influence of any substance.

Any confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech Hegdahl exhibited after the crash were symptoms of head trauma sustained during the collision, not inebriation, Zanetti argued.

Zanetti maintained that the fatal crash was an accident, not the result of negligence or impairment.

“Without question, it’s terrible what happened that afternoon,” Zanetti told jurors. “It’s tragic. But it’s not criminal.”