An Idaho man is facing criminal charges after police say he was distracted by his phone, recording an Instagram story and browsing Amazon, just before a crash that killed his young son and injured his two other children.
Austin Summers, 31, has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and two counts of injury to a child, according to court documents. Investigators say Summers was driving his GMC pickup truck westbound on Interstate 84 during Thanksgiving week in 2025 when he struck a Ford F-450 that had stopped on the highway with its hazard lights flashing due to a mechanical problem.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Summers was traveling between 73 and 75 mph in a 65 mph zone at the time of impact. His 7-year-old son, Graham, who was riding in the front passenger seat without a seatbelt, died from multiple blunt-force injuries. Summers’ two other sons, ages 3 and 5, were also hurt in the crash.
Investigators say phone records and video show Summers had been recording footage for a social media post about traffic conditions, and had also been scrolling through his phone and shopping online in the moments leading up to the collision. He reportedly filmed a separate crash on the same highway just minutes before his own.
Toxicology results showed cocaine and opiates in his system at the time of the crash, authorities say. A crash reconstruction expert concluded that distracted driving, excessive speed, and a failure to secure his children properly all contributed to the collision.
In a court filing, Summers said he takes responsibility for not pulling over to check that his son was buckled in, though he denied being impaired at the time. He told investigators he had no memory of the actual crash, only recalling the moments before and after.
Graham’s mother told police Summers had a history of letting the children ride unbuckled.
Summers remains held on a $500,000 bond, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 6.