Three people were taken to a hospital Tuesday after a head-on collision on Highway 16 near North Ballard Lane.

             Deputies say the driver of the car was heading southbound and speeding at more than 70 miles an hour.

Deputies on scene say the driver tried to make a left turn and hit a truck northbound.

             The driver of the vehicle was taken to a hospital by air ambulance with life threatening injuries.

           The passenger in that car and the driver of the truck were also taken to a hospital, but their injuries are unknown.

             Deputies say a motorcycle officer clocked the car speeding and followed the vehicle.

            The officer caught up with the driver but after the crash.

           "All he saw was the result of a lot of plastic and metal flying around,” says Ada County Sheriff Deputy Sgt. John Laraway.

 The patrol officer was one of three stationed along Highway 16 in an effort to reduce speeding on the road after a previous head-on collision.

 "Crashes like this can happen because it's confined space with two lanes and a mistake or a bad judgement could have a fatality.  This road has a history of it," says Sgt. Laraway.

Another accident happened moments later when a jeep ran into the car on the road.

Police say the crash was minor and the driver had no injuries.