Lakeside man killed in U.S. 93 crash identified

Authorities have identified the man killed in a head-on collision Friday along U.S. Highway 93 that shut down a stretch of the road in the Mission Valley for nearly six hours.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Jacob Paul Imhoff, 22, of Lakeside died Dec. 23 after he crossed the centerline while heading north near the Ninepipe area and collided with a semi-trailer truck heading in the opposite direction.

According to Montana Highway Patrol, the crash happened shortly before 4 p.m., during snowy road conditions.

Trooper Zach Miller said Imhoff was ejected from his vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency responders transported the 46-year-old man who was driving the semi-trailer to St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan with non-life-threatening injuries.

An official report from the Montana State Crime Lab on the cause of Imhoff’s death is pending. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Montana Highway Patrol.

According to Montana Highway Patrol records, 167 people have died on Montana roads this year as of Dec. 5. Of those deaths, 25 took place in Flathead, Lake and Lincoln Counties. That represents the second most deaths in the state due to car accidents behind District 4, which includes counties surrounding Billings.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.