A Meridian father charged in connection with the Interstate 84 crash that killed his 7-year-old son last November pleaded not guilty to three felony charges and asked for a speedy trial during an arraignment in Canyon County on Monday. Austin Summers now faces a trial date set for March 2027 as the case moves forward nearly a year after the crash that killed his son, Graham, and injured two other children riding in the vehicle.
Summers appeared in Canyon County District Court on Monday, Nov. 9, for his arraignment, according to Idaho News 6. He is charged with one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and two counts of felony injury to children, and he entered not guilty pleas to all three counts while requesting a speedy trial.
What Investigators Allege Happened on I-84
The crash happened in November 2025 on Interstate 84 near Nampa. Graham, Summers’s 7-year-old son, died in the wreck, while two other children who were riding in the vehicle were injured but survived, per the same report.
Investigators allege Summers was speeding and distracted by his cellphone when his vehicle struck the back of a truck that had lost engine power, the station reported. According to a probable-cause affidavit cited by the Idaho Statesman, Summers was driving a GMC pickup truck on westbound I-84 at roughly 73 to 75 miles per hour when he crashed into the rear end of a Ford F450 that was traveling about 7 mph with its hazard lights on. Idaho State Police investigators told the Statesman that Summers’s blood samples tested positive for cocaine and opiates. These remain allegations from investigators and have not been established as findings of fact at trial.
Case Timeline Heading Toward March Trial
Summers’s trial is expected to begin March 16, 2027, and last approximately two weeks, Idaho News 6 reported. The state anticipates calling between 10 and 15 witnesses, and both the prosecution and defense are expected to call expert witnesses, according to the same report.
Vehicular manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, per Idaho News 6’s reporting. Earlier in the case, Summers’s defense counsel withdrew during a brief hearing on Sept. 24, according to KTVB, meaning he had to find new representation or represent himself.
