Broadwater County Sheriff Nick Rauser has identified the two men who died in a head-on, wrong-way crash on I-90 near Three Forks on Wednesday, July 31.
Sheriff Rauser identified Robert Askins, a 56-year-old man from Spokane, Washington, as the driver of the wrong-way vehicle.
Askins crashed into 50-year-old Jason Sullivan of Basin, Montana, according to a post on the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
Rauser confirmed in the post that at 7:19 a.m. on Wednesday, a witness reported seeing Askins make a U-turn while traveling eastbound on I-90, then continue westbound in the eastbound lane. Several other callers reported a wrong-way driver on the interstate.
About four minutes later, dispatch received a call about a head-on crash at mile marker 272, according to the post. Both men were found dead at the scene.
Sheriff Rauser said two dogs were found in Askins' vehicle and were taken to a veternary clinic for treatment. One of the dogs had to be put down due to the severity of its injuries. The other dog survived and is currently being adopted.
The Montana Highway Patrol and the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office are continuing to investigate the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call MHP or the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office at 406-266-3441.
Sheriff Rauser extended his sympathies to the families of the men who died and everyone involved in the incident.
He also thanked Three Forks Fire, Three Forks Ambulance, Willow Creek Fire, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, Montana Highway Patrol, Department of Transportation, Ron's Diesel, Hardaway Vet Clinic and Heart of the Valley for their assistance.
