Sun Road crash involved seven people

A total of seven people were injured in a Fourth of July head-on collision on Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road, according to park spokeswoman Margie Steigerwald.

A vehicle strayed over the center line while driving along the shore of Lake McDonald and crashed into a vehicle in oncoming traffic. The crash is still under investigation, but Steigerwald said alcohol did not appear to be a factor.

Steigerwald said the ranger in charge of the park’s response Monday issued a citation to one of the drivers for unsafe vehicle operation.”

“He said this was one of the most complex motor vehicle accidents he has seen in 26 years working here,” Steigerwald added. “There were so many different types of injuries, he was pulling staff from all different divisions and of course it was the Fourth of July and traffic was backed up at least past Avalanche and possibly all the way to Logan Pass for at least two hours.”

She added that emergency responders had to overcome a language barrier with the occupants of one of the vehicles, but she did not know the hometowns of the nine people involved in the accident. Two of the occupants sitting up front were uninjured.

“The airbags went off in both vehicles, so the people in the front seat were better off than the people in the back seat, in this case,” she said.

Park investigators have not determined how fast the vehicles were going, but Steigerwald noted the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour where the crash occurred on a winding stretch of Going-to-the-Sun Road along the shore of Lake McDonald.

Three of the victims were transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center while the other two went to North Valley Hospital. Two refused treatment and all but one of the patients had been discharged from the hospital by Tuesday.

One of the occupants appeared to have a back injury and was airlifted by the ALERT medical helicopter to Kalispell Regional. Three ambulances responded to transport the other four victims.

ALERT pilot Ken Justice said Monday that although the airlifted victim appeared to be in the most serious condition, the patient was conscious and able to speak with medical personnel on the flight to the hospital.

The investigation into the crash is continuing. Steigerwald said the ages and names of the victims were still unavailable Tuesday afternoon.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.