Deputy, woman in stable condition after head-on crash

A man and woman are in the hospital after a head-on collision on U.S. 93 early Saturday morning.

According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper John Underwood, a 32-year-old off-duty Flathead County deputy from Whitefish was northbound just south of Happy Valley in his 2008 Smart car when the southbound 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage driven by a 27-year-old Kalispell woman crossed into his lane.

“The female was not wearing her seat belt and her airbags did not deploy,” Underwood said. “The driver of the other vehicle was wearing a seat belt and his airbags did deploy.”

Both drivers were alone in their vehicles, and both had to be extricated and transported to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center with what Underwood called “extensive but non-life-threatening injuries.” Each was listed in stable condition as of Saturday night.

Underwood said the posted speed limit in the area of the crash is 65 miles per hour and that the off-duty deputy was traveling approximately that speed, but the speed of the vehicle driven by the woman was yet undetermined.

The crash, including whether alcohol, drugs, or medical conditions may have played a role, remains under investigation.