Pedestrian killed after being hit by vehicle

A woman was reportedly struck and killed by a vehicle while walking in the road near East Glacier on Sunday night.

A Chevy Suburban towing a trailer was heading east on U.S. 2 at about 9 p.m. Sunday when the driver reportedly saw a person in dark clothing standing in the road facing the vehicle.

The driver, a 37-year-old male from Browning, told law enforcement officers he wasn’t able to attempt any kind of maneuver to avoid hitting the pedestrian because the distance between the woman and the vehicle was too short to give him time to react. The front of the vehicle collided with the pedestrian, a 62-year-old Browning resident. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Michael Driemeyer responded to the scene of the accident. He said the vehicle was traveling about 65 to 70 mph at the time of the collision, and neither excessive speed nor alcohol were factors in the accident.

Both the driver and his passenger, a 35-year-old female from Cut Bank, were wearing their seat belts, and neither were injured. No criminal charges have been filed.

Driemeyer said it is unknown as to why the pedestrian was walking in the road.

This accident marks the 145 road fatality in Montana in 2017.