15-year-old girl struck, killed by van near Columbia Falls
A Montana Highway Patrol vehicle is seen with its lights on in this file photo. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
A teenage girl was killed Thursday night after being struck by a minivan while walking along Tamarack Lane north of Columbia Falls.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the 15-year-old girl was walking westbound on the edge of the road at about 9:40 p.m. when she was hit by a Chrysler Town and Country.
The vehicle was allegedly driven by Jessica A. Farbstein, 37, of Whitefish, who is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on a felony charge of vehicular homicide while under the influence.
The girl was thrown into a ditch and Farbstein allegedly left the scene. Farbstein was later apprehended by law enforcement in Whitefish. Alcohol is a suspected factor in the crash, the patrol said.
The girl was taken to Logan Health in Kalispell where she died of her injuries. Her name has not been released.