Libby driver dies in U.S. 2 crash
<p>Traffic was tied up for hours following a two-vehicle motor accident on U.S. 2 west of Kila. First responders included the Smith Valley Fire Department, West Valley Fire Department, Flathead County Sheriff's Office and Montana Highway Patrol.</p>
A Libby man was killed in a two-vehicle accident on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell on Wednesday morning.
Roy Bumgarner, 77, was driving a Dodge Intrepid eastbound when he lost control of his vehicle on the slushy highway and crossed into the westbound lane, colliding with a Dodge Ram.
The accident occurred at mile marker 110 just west of Kila at about 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Bumgarner, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.
Bumgarner’s wife was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper David Mills. She was wearing her seat belt.
The Dodge Ram was driven by a 59-year-old Marion woman who was accompanied by her 71-year-old husband. Both were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to Mills. The couple were both wearing seat belts.
“Today’s probably been our busiest day of the year,” Mills said. “I think a lot of people expected the roads to clear fairly quickly, but unfortunately it just kept snowing.”
The Montana Highway Patrol had responded to 11 accidents in the Flathead Valley by 3 p.m. Wednesday.
“I think a lot of people are having trouble with the slush,” Mills said. “Or maybe a lot of it is inexperience, maybe they have a new vehicle or they’re just trying to get their snow legs underneath them.”
A number of other crashes and slide-offs were reported Wednesday, including:
v A two-vehicle accident at 11:45 a.m. at the intersection of Nucleus Avenue and Fourth Street East in Columbia Falls.
v One vehicle slid into the ditch on Montana 35 near mile marker 23 at 11:50 a.m.
v At 12:05 p.m., a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of U.S. 93 South and Cemetery Road.
v At 12:40 p.m. a tanker truck spun out on the ice on U.S. 93 North near mile marker 147 north of Whitefish and was blocking traffic.
v At 12:45 p.m., a snow plow slid into a vehicle near Lawrence Park.
v At 1:55 p.m., a vehicle slid into the ditch off of Montana 206 near Shooting Star Drive.
v At 2:15 p.m., a two-vehicle accident was reported on U.S. 93 north of Whitefish.
On Tuesday night, fire and emergency personnel responded when a vehicle hit — and decapitated — a cow elk while driving on Montana 206. The driver was not seriously injured.
Snow depths Wednesday morning ranged from 6 inches in Whitefish to 8 inches in Kalispell and Columbia Falls and 10 inches at Essex. Some places received another 6 inches during the day.