Crash kills Kalispell man
The driver of a pickup was killed when the truck he was driving collided head-on with a loaded semitrailer Tuesday afternoon on U.S. 93 south of Lakeside. A sport utility vehicle rolled off the road after it struck a wood stove that had fallen out of the truck. Montana Highway Patrol officer Dave Mills said three people in the SUV helped a passenger out of the pickup and extinguished a fire that started in the truck after the collision. The driver of the semi and two passengers in the pickup were taken to the hospital. Karen Nichols/Daily Inter Lake
Three others transported to hospital after wreck on U.S. 93
The Daily Inter Lake
A Kalispell man died in a head-on crash with a semitruck Tuesday afternoon near Lakeside.
Laverne Paxton, 37, of Kalispell was killed in the crash. The driver of the semi and two people inside Paxton's pickup reportedly went to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, which occurred at about 2 p.m. on U.S. 93 at the top of Political Hill. Paxton's southbound pickup reportedly drifted into the lane of the northbound semi, which carried a skidder.
The semi reportedly tipped over, and a vehicle that was following the pickup rolled over, according to Flathead County Deputy Coroner Dave Leib.
Paxton's vehicle reportedly caught fire and was extinguished by people from the vehicle behind him.
The highway was closed while the wreckage was cleared, and traffic was detoured for hours.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office, Lakeside Quick Response Unit, Kalispell Fire Department, Somers Fire Department and ALERT helicopter responded to the scene. The county Office of Emergency Services cleaned up a small amount of diesel that leaked from the semi.