Dr. Mark E. Baker, a 66-year-old oral surgeon who spent decades caring for patients in Southeast Idaho, was killed on Interstate 15 in Oneida County the night of September 14 when an elk ran into the roadway and struck his 2022 BMW Z4. The crash happened near milepost 0.3, just north of Portage, Utah, at approximately 9:27 p.m., and Baker was pronounced dead at the scene.
The precise location and vehicle details come from the Idaho State Police, which placed the crash site in rural Oneida County near the Idaho-Utah state line. Baker was driving northbound at the time of the collision. East Idaho News also reported the crash.
The wreck triggered a lengthy emergency response along a stretch of interstate that straddles two states. Response teams from the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, Oneida EMS, and the Idaho Transportation Department completely blocked both northbound lanes of I-15 for about an hour, the outlet's report notes. Crews then reopened one lane while keeping the left lane closed for an additional two and a half hours.
A Decades-Long Career in Southeast Idaho Dentistry
Baker practiced at Oral Surgery Specialists of Idaho in Pocatello, a group that traces its roots back to 1949, when it was founded by Dr. Bland Weaver Sutton, one of the state's first oral surgeons. The practice says it now operates surgical facilities in both Pocatello and Blackfoot, according to Oral Surgery Specialists of Idaho.
Baker had served East Idaho dental patients for several decades, the Idaho State Journal reported, and his surgical colleague Dr. Shawn A. Jepsen, DMD, will now continue ongoing care for all of Baker's current patients so that treatment plans are not disrupted.
Baker was born in Finland and moved to the United States as a child, growing up in Sacramento, California, before pursuing a career in dentistry, according to DrBicuspid.com. He graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry and completed his residency at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. Outside the operating room, he loved hunting, skiing, and spending time outdoors with his family, the same report states.
Humanitarian Work Reaching Rural Peru
Baker also served on the board of Idaho Condor Humanitarian Services, a nonprofit founded in Pocatello that conducts medical and dental missions in the greater Cuzco area. Idaho State University has described the organization as operating without paid administrators and noted that ISU pre-professional students take part in its mission trips, according to Idaho State University. Oral Surgery Specialists of Idaho posted a tribute to Baker on Instagram, saying he leaves behind a legacy that reaches far beyond the walls of the practice.
A 2025 safety study by the Idaho Transportation Department found that wildlife-vehicle crashes cause between one and four human fatalities in the state during most years.
Agencies have planned wildlife crossings on US-30 near Rocky Point, and a federally funded overpass on SH-21 has been completed.
