Whitefish man killed in crash

A Whitefish man was killed Friday evening in a head-on collision between two pickup trucks on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell.

Frank Gonzalez, 28, died shortly after arriving at the Kalispell Regional Medical Center emergency room, according to Flathead County Sheriff’s Sgt. and deputy coroner Jim Browder.

Gonzalez was westbound on U.S. 2 near mile marker 117 (just past West Springcreek Road) about 6:15 p.m. Friday when his Ford pickup truck drifted across the centerline and struck an oncoming Chevrolet pickup, said Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Tyler Reed.

The occupants of the Chevrolet pickup truck, a man and woman from Kalispell, were taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, Reed said.

After the initial collision, a third vehicle rear-ended Gonzalez’s truck but there were no additional injuries.

Excessive speed does not appear to be a factor in the crash. Whether alcohol was involved is still under investigation, as is what caused Gonzalez to cross into oncoming traffic, Reed said.

Gonzalez is the 16th person killed this year in crashes on Flathead County highways.