Nearly a year after a high-speed collision left a young woman suffering from a minor traumatic brain injury, she wants Craig Swapp & Associates investigated for exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
by Priscilla Petley
POST FALLS, Idaho — Reegan Myser has only been a hospital patient twice—once on the day she was born and once on Sunday, March 17, 2024, when she was brought by ambulance into the emergency room after being struck head-on while driving on Highway 53.
“I was heading into work in the Valley when the accident happened,” shared Reegan, a Lakeland High School graduate who was born and raised in Kootenai County. “I have no memory of the crash at all. Only a vague image of a woman with curly hair. I do not know if that is real or not.”
The high-speed collision claimed the life of the intoxicated driver, 25-year-old Quentin Andersen, a Post Falls resident. According to the investigation by Idaho State Police (ISP), Andersen was heading into Rathdrum when he drove his Bronco over the middle line and struck Reegan. An ISP report lists his blood alcohol level at 0.272, well above the legal limit of 0.08.
Lee Burleson was driving behind Andersen and was in the process of reporting “the Bronco” as a suspected drunk driver when he witnessed the collision.
“He almost T-Boned me as he was pulling out of Curley’s bar, flipped me off and continued,” stated Burleson on the North Idaho News Facebook post. “I was still on the phone [with ISP] when he crossed the centerline and struck the young lady.”
Burleson said he and another couple attended to Reegan until help arrived. “It was horrific to see this unfold and not be able to do anything about it.”
The driver behind Burleson told police that Reegan had “blood and glass all over her face and clothing” when he went to help and that he witnessed the Bronco swerve outside the lane multiple times before the accident.
To my peers: Don’t drive drunk—or high. And wear your seatbelt. My seatbelt saved my life.
Reegan
Somehow, Reegan managed to call Joe, her sister’s boyfriend. “We couldn’t understand her, but a first responder told us she was involved in an accident on Highway 53 around mile marker 5.”
Torie recalls arriving at the crash site with Joe. “When we arrived, we saw the horrifying scene with the young man’s body in the street covered with a tarp. Both vehicles were completely destroyed.” An officer told the couple that Reegan did not have life-threatening injuries and was in transport to the hospital.
After entering the hospital, it took a couple of hours before Torie was allowed to see her sister. She describes how distressing it was to witness Reegan lying there trying to process her surroundings and the realization that someone had died.
“Reegan couldn’t remember that we had all been together earlier,” shared Torie who had spent several hours earlier in the day with Joe and her sister at the river near Prichard, Idaho. “She thought she was dreaming. Reegan would look at the IV in her arm and say how much she hates needles, then ask what they were giving her. She would ask about the accident and if any kids had been hurt.”
“We’d tell her no,” continued Torie. “But then she would ask if everyone was okay. When she was told the other driver died, the news upset her and tears would fill her eyes. After a few minutes of conversation, she seemed to ‘reset’ and we would repeat it all over again. She kept asking the same questions and forgetting the answers—eventually we stopped telling her the details.”
It was incredibly painful to have that conversation over and over again.
Torie
While imaging taken at the hospital found no evidence of a brain bleed during the initial screening, Reegan sustained a minor traumatic brain injury (mTBI aka concussion), a fractured nose, bruising, minor lacerations, nerve damage, and sprains to ligaments in her spine and shoulder.
Torie explained how Reegan was still repeating statements and conversations several days after the accident. “She couldn’t remember details that were told to her by insurance agents or the tow company,” shared Torie. “I felt that I couldn’t support Reegan like she needed. I couldn’t get her an appointment with a doctor since she didn’t have health insurance.”
Four days after the accident, Reegan was brought to Craig Swapp & Associates by family members who were concerned about her access to healthcare. Reegan believes her family meant well, but were unaware of the ramifications of seeking legal representation.
“I have no recollection of being taken to the law firm or even talking with insurance people in the days following the accident,” stated Reegan. “I only know what I have been told happened and what I can review from written communications. I can remember feeling pain throughout my body and headaches and sensitivity to light during that period of time.”
She couldn’t read through the paperwork due to her concussion. She said that she couldn’t read line to line and it was hurting her head. The investigator at the attorney’s office rushed her through the process and tapped on the paper saying to “just sign here.”
Torie
“I was shocked when I saw the ‘signature’ on the agreement a man at Craig Swapp got me to sign even though I couldn’t read it,” she said. “I had only written the M part of Myser, and I do not know if I had forgotten my last name or had just forgotten how to spell it.”
“Had I been able to read and comprehend that agreement, I never would have signed it,” asserts Reegan. “It feels like I am being held hostage by a piece of paper I have no memory of.”
“In January, I demanded Craig Swapp release the $25,000 settlement funds from Quentin’s auto insurance so I could pay all the outstanding medical bills,” said Reegan.
In response, Craig Swapp filed a lawsuit with the court.
In the filing, the firm asserts that “no CSA attorney or other support staff that communicated with Myser observed any indicia of mental incompetency or inability on Myser’s part to make legal decisions for herself” and it asked the court to award them attorney’s fees and costs, as well as a third of the insurance settlement.
On February 12, Reegan filed a criminal complaint against Craig Swapp under Idaho code 18-1505 with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. “I believe they took advantage of me while I was mentally impaired and unable to understand what was going on. Interactions with them have left me feeling bullied and harassed and lied to,” she said.
Reegan thinks it is important for law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation of the firm’s behavior, which she believes is unethical and predatory and raises to the level of a criminal offense.
Idaho law protects vulnerable adults from exploitation. A vulnerable adult is defined in law as “a person eighteen (18) years of age or older who is unable to protect himself from abuse, neglect or exploitation due to physical or mental impairment which affects the person’s judgment or behavior to the extent that he lacks sufficient understanding or capacity to make or communicate or implement decisions regarding his person, funds, property or resources.”
The penalty for exploiting a vulnerable adult becomes a felony when the monetary damages are over $1,000. “Any person who exploits a vulnerable adult is guilty of a misdemeanor, unless the monetary damage from such exploitation exceeds one thousand dollars ($1,000), in which case the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than ten (10) years and not more than a twenty-five thousand dollar ($25,000) fine.”
According to KCSO records, there is an active case for abuse and grand theft with Craig Swapp listed as the investigative lead and Reegan as the victim.
Craig Swapp has not responded to inquires about the criminal complaint or court filing.
“It took me months to return to normal functions—which made work very challenging. It was a struggle to find the means to feed myself,” shared Reegan. “Although I still have memory issues and some lingering pain in my hip and shoulder, I am blessed to be alive.”
As a triathlete who completed the ChelanMan 70.3 Triathlon at the age of 17, Reegan is well-versed on how to overcome difficulties—both mentally and physically. “As a teen, I don’t think I appreciated the determination and resiliency it took to train and finish a 70-mile race,” shared Reegan. “But now, I can use what I learned to persevere through the mental fatigue and legal mess this trauma has caused.”
As for the legal proceedings, Reegan says it feels like an intimidation move by Craig Swapp that places her at a disadvantage. “They didn’t have to take this to court. They chose to do this.”
Almost a year ago, I was injured by a drunk driver, now I am forced to fight a large law firm in court. I just want to pay the medical bills and put this trauma behind me.
Reegan
Records show that Andersen was released from the Kootenai County Jail only 13 days before the fateful collision. On March 4, 2024, District Judge Ross Pittman removed the $10,000 bond and granted an “own recognizance” release on a second offense DUI charge with enhanced penalties that could have resulted in a ten-year sentence if Andersen was found guilty.
Andersen’s criminal history included a DUI conviction, disturbing the peace, and multiple probation violations. He had his license suspended and plead guilty to reckless driving while the suspension was still in place. Magistrate Judge James Stow placed him on two years of supervised probation in May 2022. It is unclear whether he was still under supervised probation at the time of the fatal crash.
It caused Reegan a lot of emotional pain knowing someone died in the accident that she survived. She has sympathy for Andersen’s family, but said none of them have reached out to her.
I am eternally thankful no kids were hurt and I wish judges would stop releasing repeat offenders.
Reegan
Priscilla Petley is a wife and mother currently residing in Florida. She is Reegan’s aunt and has cheered her on at numerous triathlons. (Photo of Reegan and Priscilla at ChelanMan 70.3 Triathlon in 2017).
