Man dies in crash on Hwy 40

A 51-year-old man has died in a one-vehicle crash west of Columbia Falls.

A passing motorist came upon the crash at 2:39 a.m. Friday, reporting the driver, whose head had hit the windshield, was slumped over the passenger seat, unconscious and not breathing. No blood was seen in the sedan, which had struck and come to rest against a utility pole.

The Montana Highway Patrol said the man was eastbound on Montana 40 when his car drifted to the right side of the road, jumped the curb and struck a light pole. The vehicle continued across the junction with U.S. 2 and hit a second pole.

The man died at the scene. His name has not been released.

The Daily Inter Lake contributed to this report.