Idaho dad was allegedly drafting Instagram story, texting, browsing Amazon before car crash that killed his son, 7: court docs

An Idaho dad allegedly drafted an Instagram story, looked at cell phone pictures, and browsed Amazon moments before his 7-year-old son was killed in a car crash as he faces manslaughter charges.Austin Summers, 31, was driving a black GMC Sierra truck when he allegedly rear-ended a 2013 white Ford F450 that was experiencing mechanical problems on I-84 in Canyon County, Idaho, on Nov.25 last year, the Idaho Statesman reported, citing court documents.

Summers’ eldest son Graham, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was killed and the dad was charged with manslaughter last Tuesday.Summers, of Meridian, allegedly plowed into the Ford at a speed of between 73 and 75 mph in a 65 mph zone, while the car in front was traveling at just 7 mph in the far right lane.His other two children, whose ages were 3 and 5 at the time of the crash, were sitting in the back of the truck and were uninjured. The dad was hospitalized and told cops one week later that he remembered “screaming to save his son” after the horror unfolded.Summers was initially cooperative with cops during the early stages of their investigation– and initially agreed to hand over data from his phone.But he suddenly withdrew that request, forcing police to obtain a search warrant.Investigators later found Summers had been using his phone between 2:45 p.m and 3:02 p.m., minutes before the fatal collision.The dad scrolled on Instagram, browsed Amazon, snapped a picture of another crash site and drafted an Instagram story, according to court documents.“Avoid th freeway heading [sic],” the text on the story supposedly said. He also messaged Ashley Summers – the mother of his kids – “Stick [sic] in traffic,” according to KTVB.

Summers and Ashley are separated. Summers allegedly looked at an Instagram picture at 3:03 p.m.– one minute before a 911 call was logged.It prompted Idaho State Police to conclude reckless driving was the primary cause of the smash.Summers was also accused of not...