Local man pleads not guilty in head-on crash incident

A local man pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of negligent vehicular assault last week in Sanders County District Court.

Bridger Frederick Bischoff entered his plea in front of Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher Tuesday, May 18.

According to charging documents, a trooper from Montana Highway Patrol responded to a two-vehicle, head-on crash on Montana 135 near milemarker 10 at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. The trooper found first responders from Plains Ambulance helping a woman who was injured in the crash.

Emergency medical technicians told the trooper suffered very serious injuries, including a fractured left thumb, fractured right foot, a large cut on her right foot, bruises to her chest and her left knee as well as several smaller cuts and abrasions.

According to the trooper, Bridger said the crash was his fault because while he was driving to St. Regis and coming around a curve, he looked at his phone and drove off the road. Bischoff said he tried to return to the highway, overcorrected and drove across both lanes and hit the woman’s vehicle head-on.

The trooper asked Bischoff how much he had to drink that day and the accused allegedly said he had a beer at about 2 p.m. Bischoff agreed to give a blood sample and it indicated his blood alcohol level was 0.077 and the THC level was 5.3.

In Montana, the legal limit for alcohol in the blood is 0.08 and the THC level is 5.

When the trooper spoke to the victim, she said Bischoff’s truck was traveling at a high rate of speed and when it hit the guard rail, it was airborne. She also said her air bags went off and the windshield of her 2020 Land Rover Range was shattered. The vehicle was totaled in the crash.

After treatment of her injuries at Clark Fork Valley Hospital, the woman was taken to North Valley Hospital in Whitefish for more care.

Bridger faces a maximum term in the Montana State Prison of 10 years. He is free on his own recognizance.

Judge Christopher set a trial date of Nov. 15.