GREAT FALLS — Four people have died and several others were injured in crashes across Montana within the last two days.
BIG HORN COUNTY: One person died and seven people were injured in a two-vehicle crash in Big Horn County on Friday, July 26, 2024. It happened at about 2:15 p.m. near mile marker 38 along US Highway 212.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the vehicles and occupants were:
Hyundai Sonata: 21-year-old male driver from Busby; 20-year-old male from Lame Deer; 2-year-old female. The two adults were wearing seatbelts; the MHP report does not state whether the child was properly restrained.
Jeep Grand Cherokee: 28-year-old male driver from South Dakota; 34-year-old female from South Dakota; 24-year-old male from South Dakota; 23-year-old female; 25-year-old male. All occupants of the Jeep were wearing seatbelts.
The MHP report says that the Sonata was eastbound and attempted to pass a commercial vehicle in a no-passing zone. The Sonata collided head-on with the Jeep in the westbound lane. Both vehicles overturned, and the Jeep caught fire.
The driver of the Sonata died at the scene; his name has not been released. The seven other people were taken to a medical facility in Lame Deer, two of them with life-threatening injuries.
According to the MHP, speed was a factor in the collision; alcohol and/or drugs were not factors.
ROSEBUD COUNTY: One person died in a rollover crash in Rosebud County on Saturday, July 27, 2024. It happened at about 2 a.m. near the intersection of Old Highway 10 and Schiffer Road.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, a 52-year-old woman from Rosebud eastbound in a Ford Mustang and she drifted off to the right into a ditch.
She over-corrected and crossed the center line, and then over-corrected back toward the right. The car began to skid and rotate, and then went off the road and rolled, landing at the bottom of a coulee.
The woman died at the scene; her name has not been released. The MHP says the woman was not wearing a seatbelt; alcohol and/drugs were not factors in the crash.
MUSSELSHELL COUNTY: One person died in a rollover crash in Musselshell County on Friday, July 26, 2024. It happened at about 3:10 p.m. along US Highway 87 near mile marker 7.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, an 84-year-old man from Glasgow, Montana, was southbound in a Ford Galaxy when the right rear tire blew out.
The driver over-corrected to the left, crossing the center line, and the car went off the road and rolled through a fence, landing on its roof.
The man died at the scene; his name has not been released. The MHP says the man was wearing a seatbelt. Alcohol and/drugs were not factors in the crash.
LEWIS & CLARK COUNTY: One person died in a two-vehicle crash in Lewis & Clark County on Saturday, July 27, 2024. It happened at about 10:45 p.m. at the intersection of Canyon Ferry Road and Spokane Creek Road.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the crash involved a BMW motorcycle and a GMC Sierra.
A 28-year-old man from Helena was eastbound on the motorcycle along Canyon Ferry Road at speeds "estimated in excess of 100 miles per hour," according to the MHP.
The Sierra was turning westbound onto Canyon Ferry Road from Spokane Creek Road. According to the MHP, the motorcyclist "applied no braking" and crashed into the boat trailer of the Sierra.
The man died at the scene; his name has not been released. The 69-year-old man and 67-year-old man in the Sierra was not seriously injured and were wearing seatbelts.
The MHP crash report says the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet. Alcohol and/drugs were not factors in the crash.
