Officers mourn fallen trooper

'David was the kind of guy who never had a bad day'

Law enforcement officers across the state are wearing black bands across their badges today in memory of Montana Highway Patrol Trooper David Graham.

Graham, 36, was killed in the line of duty Tuesday morning after his squad car was struck head-on by a pickup that crossed the center turn lane on U.S. 2.

He was performing routine traffic patrol.

"It doesn't matter what color uniform you wear," said Montana Highway Patrol Lt. Col. Mike Tooley. "When somebody goes down you all feel it."

Graham's funeral will be held 2 p.m. Saturday at the Christian Center, 255 Summit Ridge Drive, in Kalispell, Highway Patrol Capt. Clancy King said.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer ordered flags on state property to be flown at half staff Friday and Saturday in Graham's honor. Schweitzer urged residents across the state to do the same.

Graham joined the Highway Patrol in August 2006. He had recently been chosen to teach a class on traffic stops at the Patrol's academy.

"He had a bright future," King said.

Graham, of Kalispell, did his field training in East Glacier after graduating from the academy. He transferred back to the Patrol's Kalispell office in April.

"David was the kind of guy who never had a bad day," Tooley said. "You just don't find people like David."

Since Graham died in the line of duty, his wife and three young children will benefit from federal programs and state compensation, King said.

Officers impacted by Graham's death will have counseling programs made available to them, King said.

"The best thing we can do for David is to keep doing what we're here to do," Tooley said in a statement Tuesday. "We're not going to forget him. We'll do our best job in his honor."

The crash occurred at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday on U.S. 2 between Reserve Drive and Rose Crossing, about two miles northeast of Kalispell.

A full-sized Dodge pickup driven by 22-year-old Jennirae Bloom was northbound when it crossed over the center turn lane and into oncoming traffic.

As Bloom apparently reached down for something on the floor, her truck drifted four feet into the southbound lane and traveled for some distance there before the collision, according to the Highway Patrol.

A white car, traveling southbound in front of Graham's unmarked Crown Victoria and blocking his view of the road ahead, was able to swerve out of the truck's way.

When Graham was finally able to see the truck, it was right on top of him, according to the Highway Patrol.

The two vehicles crashed almost head-on.

After the collision, the pickup went airborne and landed on its passenger side near the shoulder of the road, said Terry Werner, a passing motorist who witnessed the accident.

Bloom, of Kalispell, was taken by ambulance to Kalispell Regional Medical Center with a severely broken leg and other injuries. She was in stable condition Wednesday, according to a hospital spokesman.

In addition to Werner and the driver of the white car, who contacted the Patrol late Tuesday, two other drivers who witnessed the accident stopped and gave statements, King said. All were consistent, he said.

There were no preliminary indications that drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, but blood samples were sent to the state crime lab in Missoula for analysis, King said. Both vehicles appeared to be traveling at appropriate speeds, he said.

The wreck closed the highway for about seven hours.

Graham is the fifth trooper to lose his life in the line of duty since the Highway Patrol was created in 1935. The last trooper killed in the line of duty, Michael M. Ren, died in an April 8, 1978, shootout with a fugitive near Eureka while trying to serve a warrant.

Officer Richard Hedstrom was struck and killed by a pickup while writing a warning ticket on July 19, 1973; Officer James Anderson had pulled over a vehicle on Bozeman Hill on Aug. 1, 1954, when a vehicle coming from the opposite direction struck and killed him; and on Nov. 2, 1946, Patrolman Robert Steele was approaching a suspected getaway car in an armed robbery when he was shot in the neck.

When the joint investigation between the Highway Patrol and the Kalispell Police Department is complete, the findings will be sent to the Flathead County Attorney's Office where prosecutors will determine whether or not to file charges.

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