Two hurt in crash

Two Columbia Falls residents were hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after their vehicle rolled over on Spotted Bear Road near Martin City.

A man and woman, both in their late 50s, were transported to North Valley Hospital with serious injuries, though they didn’t appear to be life-threatening, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

Trooper Jerril Ren said the two were traveling toward Martin City just after 11 a.m. when the woman driving attempted to negotiate a curve on the icy road.

The 2001 Jeep Cherokee slid off the road, began rolling and collided with trees, he said.

The woman suffered a neck injury and the man sustained broken ribs and an injured collarbone, Ren said.

The crash was the most serious of those reported to the Montana Highway Patrol following the first significant snowfall of winter.

Troopers with the Kalispell office of the Montana Highway Patrol had responded to more than two dozen calls to assist motorists who had either slid off the road our collided with other vehicles in Flathead County and parts of Lake, Sanders and Lincoln counties.

Ren said many were single-vehicle collisions or low-speed crashes that resulted in minor injuries or required no medical attention.

“People just need to remember the winter driving rules,” he said. “Slow down and give yourself plenty of time to get wherever you’re headed.”