Accidents snarl traffic around valley
<p>Kalispell Police, West Valley Fire and Montana Highway Patrol respond to the scene of a rollover accident on U.S. 93 on Monday morning just north of Kalispell.</p>
<p>A multi-vehicle accident on U.S. 93 between Somers and Lakeside causes traffic to be rerouted along a side road on Monday afternoon.</p>
Two separate accidents along U.S. 93 backed up traffic Monday, but as of Monday night there were no serious injuries reported in either crash.
In the first incident, which occurred north of Kalispell, two drivers reportedly heading toward Whitefish collided, sending one car into the air before it rolled at least twice along the highway and landed in a ditch.
“One car decided to change lanes and hit the other, which swerved and then started to roll,” said Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Thomas Manz.
Manz said while one person in the accident later asked his wife to take him to the hospital, the drivers of both vehicles walked away from the scene without severe injuries.
Emergency responders shut down one of the two northbound lanes for 30 minutes as they checked on the people involved and cleared the wreckage.
Kalispell Police Department and Kalispell Fire Department also responded to the scene.
In a later incident, the Highway Patrol, Lakeside-Somers Fire Department and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to a multi-vehicle accident on U.S. 93 between Somers and Lakeside.
The lead investigator of that accident was unable to be reached as of Monday night.
The accident caused traffic to be rerouted along a side road for part of the afternoon.
Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.