Head-on collision closes Highway 200 in Plains

| July 23, 2009 12:00 AM

Matt Unrau

Valley Press

Raymond Murphy, 72, suffered multiple injuries on Thursday afternoon resulting from a head on collision between his Ford pickup and a semi-truck.

Murphy, who was life-flighted to Missoula, suffered two broken arms, a broken femur and severe lacerations according to an initial assessment at the scene. Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department Assistant Chief Lee Mercier made this initial assessment.

At approximately 1:00 p.m. witnesses saw Murphy heading west on Highway 200 one and a half miles west of Plains where he drifted over into the eastbound lane. As he drifted into the left lane he forced Lance Walden with Hanson Trucking in Columbia Falls to move halfway into the ditch.

According to witnesses, Murphy's pickup hit the semi impacting the vehicle on its front passenger side against the semi truck's front passenger side. This caused the pickup to spin past the semi and the semi to skid to a stop sitting high-centered and perpendicular to the road.

"I tried to miss him, but I couldn't get over anymore without rolling the truck and I thought I was going to anyway," says Walden. Walden did not sustain any injuries.

Debbie Griggs was sitting with her husband outside of Archery Pro Shop eating her lunch when she witnessed the accident. After seeing Murphy drift over into the left lane she heard several explosions from the collision and popping of tires.

Then she ran the 100 yards to the semi and then to Murphy's pickup which was sitting upright on the road another 100 yards west of the semi. The entire front driver side of his pickup was caved in up to the door. There she saw Murphy sitting in his pickup and Walden who was also checking on him.

Murphy was sitting in the pickup slumped over and unconscious. "He looked like he was sleeping in there," says Griggs.

Upon their arrival emergency personnel had to cut away the driver side door of the pickup to reach Murphy where they were able to take him to the ambulance by stretcher and drive him to Clark Fork Valley Hospital where he was later transferred by helicopter to St. Pat's Hospital in Missoula.

Montana Highway Patrol was on scene investigating the accident.

Murphy's pickup was towed within a few hours of the crash. However, larger wreckers had to be called in to transport the semi, which forced Highway 200 to be blocked for several hours.