Pair of accidents occur on Hwy 135
The stretch of Highway 135, from Highway 200 to St. Regis, was the site of two accidents, one occuring on Tuesday, March 23, and the second on Friday, March 19.
The stretch of Highway 135, from Highway 200 to St. Regis, was the site of two accidents, one occuring on Tuesday, March 23, and the second on Friday, March 19.
At 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning, the lanes on Highway 135 were closed down to traffic when a logging truck flipped over dumping his cargo across the road past mile marker 14. Trooper Darlene Lee said that they finally got a lane open, but it was still slow going throughout the morning as crews worked to clean up the mess. She said that the truck was coming around the curb, when he failed to negotiate the curb.
“As he was trying to stay in his lane, he said that the logs shifted and then he tipped over,” she said. “We tried to get a lane open to traffic as fast as possible, but we’re still letting everyone go every once in a while as we work to get it cleaned up.”
Lee said that there were only minor injuries to the driver who was an older gentleman. No other vehicles were involved in the incident.
On Friday evening, a near head on collision, between mile markers 16 and 17, brought an ambulance and emergency workers to the scene at around 5:45 p.m. Steven Gatson, an officer for the Montana Highway Patrol, said that an Idaho couple, Eugene Wolfley, 63, and his wife, Linda, 62, were traveling southbound in a white car, headed south into the sun that was coming up over the ridge. A black jeep, driven by Desiree Morgan, a 23-year-old woman from Kalispell, was headed northbound on the highway, when she decided to pass a car hauler semi.
“She realized there was a vehicle in the oncoming lane and then she swerved and hit the guard rail. When she hit the guardrail, she ricocheted off the guard rail and caught the oncoming vehicle, going in the opposite direction in what’s called a sideswipe,” Gatson said, “Or nearly a head on collision. There was some overlap, but it wasn’t a full head on.”
Gatson said that everyone was treated for injuries at the scene. A followup call to Highway Partolman Roman Zylawy on Monday confirmed that injuries were minor. He said that the seatbelts and airbags played a vital role in the safety of the individuals. Gatson said on Friday that other vehicles and the sun may have been a factor, but it came down to an unsafe pass made by Morgan.
“Right now, what appears to be the factor is possibly other vehicles,” he said. “The sun glare may have been a factor and basically just an unsafe pass. That’s probably what (Morgan) the driver of the jeep will be cited for.”
Citations for the incident are still pending.