Officials ID woman killed in crash on Kalispell bypass

A woman who died in a two-vehicle wreck on the U.S. 93 bypass in Kalispell on Wednesday has been identified.

Flathead County Coroner Chuck Curry announced Thursday the woman was 58-year-old Eve Kaaihue Berardi, of Kalispell.

The accident occurred at about 3 p.m. behind the Cabela’s store near Reserve Drive.

According to Kalispell Police Officer Colton Bagnoli, Berardi was driving north in a 1993 Mazda MX-6 when she crossed the median and collided head-on with a southbound 2007 Ford Escape. The road was closed for about three hours.

Berardi was wearing a seat belt and police don’t believe alcohol was a factor. Her body was taken to the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula for an autopsy to determine a cause of death.

The driver of the Escape, a Lakeside woman, was accompanied by a male passenger, who is also from the Flathead Valley. Bagnoli said the woman was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. The man was uninjured.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.