Teen driver enters plea in fatal crash

The Daily Inter Lake

A 15-year-old boy accused of negligent homicide for his role in the traffic death of a Columbia Falls woman pleaded innocent Friday morning in Flathead County District Court.

Phillip John Wisnewski was charged in late July with one count of negligent homicide and one count of obstructing an officer.

Sara June Carter, 22, was killed in a July 13 crash on U.S. 2 near Glacier Park International Airport.

She was a passenger in a Hyundai traveling south when a pickup allegedly driven by Wisnewski tried to make a U-turn in front of them.

The Hyundai's driver swerved into the northbound lane to avoid the pickup, then collided head-on with another car.

The Hyundai skidded across the roadway and burst into flames. Carter was pulled from the burning car by other drivers who stopped to help.

She was pronounced dead about an hour after the 8:13 p.m. accident, according to sheriff's Sgt. Lance Norman, a deputy Flathead County coroner.

There reportedly were five other teenagers in the truck at the time of the crash. The pickup left the scene of the accident but was tracked down later.

The Hyundai's 23-year-old driver sustained only minor injuries. The other car's 47-year-old driver also sustained minor injuries. Nobody in the pickup was injured, said Montana Highway Patrol trooper Jerril Ren.

If convicted, Wisnewski could face as long as 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for the negligent homicide charge and as long as six months in jail or a $500 fine for the obstruction charge, according to the Flathead County Attorney's Office.

Wisnewski's trial is set to begin in the Jan. 2 jury term.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com