2 Great Falls teens die in head-on crash near West Glacier

GREAT FALLS (AP) — Two 18-year-old Great Falls women were killed in a head-on crash on U.S. 2 near West Glacier.

The Montana Highway Patrol tells the Great Falls Tribune the car the women were in crossed the center line Wednesday afternoon, struck a guardrail and then swerved back into the roadway into the path of a sprinter van.

The victims were identifed by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office as Caitlin Benner, 18, and her passenger Vanessa Fitzgerald, 18. Both died on the scene.

The 34-year-old Kalispell man driving the van was unable to swerve to avoid the collision. He and a 1-year-old child in the car were not injured.

The crash occurred at mile marker 166 east of West Glacier at about 4 p.m. The accident remains under investigation.