Montana 40 accident kills 1
Two accidents on Montana 40 left one dead and three injured Wednesday.
A 65-year-old woman from Columbia Falls was killed when her car collided with an oncoming pickup truck.
The accident closed Montana 40 for more than an hour.
Kyong Smith was pronounced dead on the scene, according to Flathead County coroner and Sheriff's Lt. Bob Provo.
Smith was traveling west on Montana 40 in a Chrysler PT Cruiser when she drifted into the eastbound lane and hit a half-ton Dodge pickup truck traveling in the other direction, said Montana Highway Patrol trooper David Mills.
Investigators said they don't know why she crossed into oncoming traffic.
The crash occurred just west of where Montana 40 intersects with U.S. 2, near mile marker 4.3, at about 7:50 a.m., Mills said.
Alcohol or excessive speed were not factors in the accident, Mills said. However, Smith was not wearing a seat belt.
Her car sustained massive front-end damage, and her body had to be cut out of the wreckage, Mills said.
The driver of the pickup truck, 45-year-old Lawrence Abell, was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where he was in good condition Wednesday afternoon.
Smith's death is the 14th traffic related fatality in Flathead County this year.
When the road was opened at about 9:15 a.m., traffic was backed up about a mile, Mills said.
Officers were unable to find a black and white border collie that had been riding in the back of the pickup truck before the accident.
Just hours after Smith was killed, another accident occurred on Montana 40, this time at Emerald Drive.
Another pickup truck was traveling eastbound on Montana 40 when a Dodge Neon attempted to turn left onto that road from Emerald Drive, said Montana Highway Patrol trooper Neil Durham.
The Neon failed to yield the right of way, turned in front of the truck and was struck, Durham said.
The 19-year-old driver of the Neon, Jessica Hegge, was taken to North Valley Hospital for broken bones and cuts. The 40-year-old driver of the pickup truck was transported to the same hospital by private vehicle for stitches.