Woman ran over, highway patrol seeking information in hit and run

Last Tuesday evening, August 3, at around 7:30 p.m., a woman was allegedly thrown from her vehicle by another subject and then ran over by the same vehicle. The incident occurred at mile marker four, at the underpass, on Interstate 90 westbound. The name of the 45-year-old woman from the Spokane area is not yet being released as Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Richard Hader said that it could hinder their investigation.

"The vehicle had stopped and she was either pushed out or fell out or something and then the vehicle ran her over and fled westward," Hader said.

The victim was transported to Superior to the Mineral County Hospital before being transported to Missoula where she was then life-flighted to Seattle Harbor View Medical Center.

Hader said that the woman is in critical care and has been on a ventilator. As of Thursday, her family had been notified. The woman did not have any identification on her and Hader said they discovered her identity by fingerprints.

Hader said that tourists who were coming around the corner as they hiked the Hiawatha Trail discovered the incident and reported it to authorities. Hader said that authorities are looking for an older van, an Ecoline van, from the 70s or 80s that is brown with tan base strips.

"We've had a couple leads that we've looked into," Hader said. "We haven't been able to question her, but we do believe that something obviously took place. Her injuries were indicative that she had been run over."

Hader said that they are still investigating and that all they can do is wait and see what happens. Hader said that they have yet to put together what transpired before the woman was run over.

If anyone has any information about this incident, Hader can be reached by calling 529-3240.