One dead in crash of motorcycle

A Whitefish man was killed Sunday night in a motorcycle crash near the intersection of Montana 40 and Dillon Road.

Douglas Ray Knudsen, 52, was westbound on Montana 40 at 9:05 p.m. when he tried to pass a pickup truck in a no-passing zone, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

As he returned to the westbound lane, Knudsen lost control of his 2007 Harley-Davidson and crashed into the right-side ditch.

Knudsen suffered major head trauma in the crash and died at the scene.

Excessive speed was a factor in the crash, and Knudsen was not wearing a helmet, according to the highway patrol. No other vehicles were involved in the wreck. Knudsen was not carrying a passenger.

The owner of Shaker's Steak and Ale restaurant in Whitefish, Knudsen reportedly was the last member of a group of motorcycle riders to head home after an evening ride.

Sunday's crash is the first motorcycle-related fatality of 2008 in Flathead County and third overall traffic death in the county this year. In 2007, 36 people were killed in 521 motorcycle crashes across the state.

On Monday, a motorcycle crash in Columbia Falls sent a 48-year-old man to the hospital. He still was being evaluated in the Kalispell Regional Medical Center emergency room Monday evening.

The man, whose name was not released, was eastbound on Ninth Street West at about 12:25 p.m. when a dump truck rear-ended him, according to the Columbia Falls Police Department. He reportedly slowed to turn into the Western Building Center parking lot before he was struck.

The man was thrown from his motorcycle and suffered several major injuries. The Columbia Falls Fire Department and Three Rivers EMS responded to the scene.