Family devastated after Idaho If one dies following hit-and-run on Washington freeway

IDAHO FALLS — A local family is devastated after their loved one was hit and killed by a car while changing a tire in Vancouver, Washington.

Jerry Bolland, 42, was on the side of Interstate 205 around 12:30 am on Thursday, June 2 when the driver of an oncoming vehicle struck him and continued driving. Bolland was taken to the hospital, where he died. The driver of the other vehicle has not been found and there are no strong leads in the case, according to Lori Bolland Embree.

Bolland Embree is Bolland’s aunt but her family adopted him at age 3 so she considers him a brother.

“He was by himself. The very next car that came upon him, I guess it was maybe 10-15 minutes later, stopped and called 911,” Bolland Embree tells EastIdahoNews.com. “He was conscious and talking to the people that stopped and the EMTs. They took him to the hospital where he died.”

READ JERRY ROBERT BOLLAND’S OBITUARY HERE

Bolland was raised in Parker and loved motorcycles and fixing cars. He lived in Idaho Falls and drove a taxi for a living. He loved music, tattoos and was a skilled mechanic.

“He had a lot of struggles in his life and in the midst of all of that, he was always very, very kind to others and very optimistic about life,” Bolland Embree says. “He was always laughing and loved his friends as if they were his family.”

Jerry Bolland, Lori Bolland Embree and Ina Kay Bolland. | Courtesy of Lori Bolland Embree

A memorial service for Bolland is planned for at 2 pm in St Anthony. It will be streamed on Zoom and more information can be found here.

Washington State Patrol continues to investigate the crash and asks anyone who may have seen the crash to come forward. Those in the area with dashcam footage from June 2 between 12-12:45 am should check their video and see if it shows a vehicle leaving the scene.

Bolland Embree hopes whoever hit her brother will contact the police so she and her family can have closure.

“We just want to know what happened. They might have had their own situation going on and they might have been scared or whatever. But knowing things brings a lot of peace to a family and just knowing this would be everything,” she says.