Col. Falls couple dies in crash

A Columbia Falls couple died Saturday afternoon in a fiery crash near Paradise after their vehicle crashed head-on with an SUV.

Rudy Arriaga, 78, and Beverly L. Smith-Arriaga, 60, died at the scene after their Oldsmobile Cutlass became engulfed in flames, according to Sanders County Deputy Coroner Dan Bates.

The accident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on Montana 135 at milepost 18 near Paradise. Arriaga swerved off the road, then traveled back onto the highway and crossed into the oncoming lane, hitting the SUV, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

Four passengers in the SUV were hospitalized, Bates said. One passenger was airlifted to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. The other three passengers were taken by ambulance to Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains, where one of the three later was airlifted to St. Patrick Hospital. Their names have not been released.

The crash remains under investigation by the Montana Highway Patrol.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.