Pedestrian identified in fatal crash

The Daily Inter Lake

A man struck and killed on U.S. 2 near Kila early Tuesday morning has been identified at Ned C. Howe of Michigan.

Howe, 78, appears to have been killed while trying to wave down a passing pickup truck. Investigators aren't certain why Howe was in the roadway, but his nearby vehicle was out of gas, according to Montana Highway Patrol trooper Martin Shrock.

Howe was pronounced dead at the scene, Flathead County Sheriff and Coroner Mike Meehan said.

The accident occurred about 4:15 a.m.

Howe, who apparently was on a road trip across the county, may have been on the way to visit his sister in Canada, Meehan said. Investigators found an atlas marked with a route and schedule in the man's vehicle, which was parked off the road near where he was struck. The gas gauge was on "empty."

The pickup truck's driver told investigators he was unable to see the man, who had stepped into the roadway, until the last moment. The driver tried to brake and swerve, but hit Howe at highway speeds. Neither excessive speed nor alcohol were factors in the crash, Shrock said, and no criminal action against the pickup's driver is pending.

Howe is the second pedestrian to die on Flathead County highways in 2008. His death marks the 17th traffic-related fatality in Flathead County this year.

According to the Montana Highway Patrol, a full-sized Ford pickup truck was westbound on U.S. 2 at mile marker 113 near Kila about 4:15 a.m. when the driver noticed a man in the highway and tried to swerve, but was unable to avoid him.

Neither the pickup's driver or his passenger, both loggers on their way to a work site, were injured.