Man killed in rollover accident

A 23-year-old Columbia Falls man was killed early Wednesday morning when his car left a railroad right of way near Frontage Road and plunged hundreds of feet down a steep embankment.

The man's Isuzu Rodeo rolled several times and ejected him, according to the Montana Highway Patrol. The small SUV eventually came to rest on the man's chest, pinning him among some rocks yards from the chilly waters of the Flathead River.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A second man in the vehicle at the time of the crash suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to North Valley Hospital, where he was in stable condition Wednesday night.

According to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office, the two men were driving around after leaving a bar in Columbia Falls at about 2 a.m.

They turned onto the railroad right of way, which eventually terminated into a field bordering the embankment. There were no signs that the driver made any attempt to stop before going over the edge, and investigators don't know if the pair were even on the right of way intentionally. Alcohol was a factor in the crash, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

After the impact, the 21-year-old survivor reportedly climbed out of the vehicle, up the embankment, and then walked about a mile to his Frontage Road home. He reached the residence at about 9 a.m. From there he called a family member, who in turn called 911.

Investigators don't know what happened between the time of the accident, which could have occurred as early as 2:30 a.m., and the time the injured man reached home, but suspect he may have stopped to rest or passed out.

The man originally believed the accident happened somewhere on the North Fork Road, leaving emergency personnel to scour a 60-mile stretch of roadway.

But after hours of searching without success, investigators interviewed the man at the hospital. Information gathered there led them to the foot of the embankment, where they found the crash site at about 11 a.m.

The embankment was so steep that emergency personnel could only reach the scene of the crash via the river on a North Valley Search and Rescue boat.

Rescuers were finally able to winch the car high enough to recover the body at about 2 p.m. The disabled car was finally removed by about 4:30 p.m.

The names of both men are being withheld pending notification of their families.

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