Victims of fiery crash identified

Authorities have identified the three people who died in a car crash early Saturday morning when their vehicle rolled off the road and caught fire along the U.S. 93 bypass near Kalispell.

Kert Lee Dolechek, 51, Amy Nicole Ward , 38, and Kendra Lynn Anderson, 42 — all of Kalispell — were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to a press release from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Chuck Curry said he believes alcohol and speed were factors in the crash, which remains under investigation by the Montana Highway Patrol.

The incident on the bypass near its intersection with Airport Road was reported at 2:38 a.m., according to dispatch logs.

Dolechek, who was believed to be the driver, was ejected from the vehicle and died of trauma at the scene. The other victims remained in the vehicle until it was extinguished; their bodies will be transported to the Montana State Crime Lab for autopsies.

Dolecheck and Anderson were both engineers for Applied Materials. Bill McClintock, the vice president and general manager of the company, announced the news of the deaths to employees during a meeting Monday morning.

Kalispell resident Doug Bennett was the second person to arrive at the crash scene Saturday morning.

Bennett said he was at his brother’s house nearby when he saw a ball of flames shoot into the air.

“I could see there were people and I tried to get to them, but the fire was so hot, I couldn’t get near it,” Bennett said. “I was just standing there … It was already too late when I showed up, but with something like that, you don’t want to just leave, that feels irresponsible, too. So I just waited for the cops to show up.”

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