Crash claims life of Whitefish bicyclist

A Whitefish bicyclist died Thursday night in a collision with a vehicle in Whitefish.

Jared Frederick Kinney, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene. Kinney had recently moved to Whitefish from Wayland, New York.

The accident occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Edgewood Place when Kinney was struck by a Hyundai Santa Fe.

Kinney and his bike were pinned underneath the vehicle and Whitefish emergency personnel used airbags to raise the vehicle and extricate him.

The driver of the Santa Fe, Shaunda Dillman of Redcliff, Alberta, was traveling with her husband.

Dillman was making a turn into an office parking lot when the accident occurred.

According to a news release from the Whitefish Police Department, evidence at the scene indicated the bicyclist may have been riding against traffic and had no headlight or taillight on his bike.  

The investigation into the crash continued well into the night Thursday and is continuing.

The Montana Highway Patrol conducted a forensic investigation of the accident and will forward its findings to the Flathead County Attorney’s office to determine if charges will be filed.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Highway Patrol and Whitefish police and fire departments responded to the scene.

Kinney’s death marks the second bicycle fatality this summer in the Whitefish area.

On July 27, a 69-year-old Ohio man died after he was thrown from his bicycle on Big Mountain Road north of Whitefish.

Daniel Schoedinger of Columbus, Ohio, who also had a part-time home on Big Mountain, was riding down Big Mountain Road near the one-mile marker when he had to brake unexpectedly because of a vehicle turning into a driveway ahead of him.

Schoedinger was thrown from his bicycle onto the pavement, striking his head.