A recent rollover crash killed a woman from Hardin, and the driver of the car in the single-vehicle wreck died shortly after. The 25-year-old woman, who was the passenger in the vehicle, was reportedly not wearing her seat belt during the car accident.

Official reports show that the collision happened during the early morning hours, when the driver of the Mercury sedan lost control of the vehicle. The car swerved into a ditch, was launched into the air and then struck a building near Fort Smith, authorities say. The accident happened along Secondary Highway 313.

Although the female passenger died at the scene, the 27-year-old male driver perished later at medical facilities after being transported to the hospital in critical condition. Authorities have said that he was not wearing his seat belt, either. The driver was from Fort Smith.

Police representatives say that two children were also in the vehicle at the time of the wreck, ages 1 and 6. The two youngsters were transported to hospitals in Billings, and their conditions have not yet been reported.

Preliminary reports indicate that alcohol and speed likely played a role in the crash.

It is not clear whether the two children involved in the accident were the children of the man and woman who died. Family members of the female victim or the two children injured could sue the driver’s estate for a wrongful death or personal injury claim. If speed and alcohol are determined to play a role in the crash, this could be even more likely.

Source: The Billings Gazette, “Driver in Fort Smith crash dies, coroner identifies 2 killed,” staff reports, Aug. 26, 2012