Residents in the state of Montana managed to avoid having any car accident fatalities for over a month. Sadly, this fatality-free month came to an end on a recent Friday evening near Lame Deer. According to the Rosebud County sheriff, a single-vehicle rollover crash just outside of Lame Deer resulted in the death of a 26-year-old woman.
The victim of the crash was riding as a passenger in a sport utility vehicle traveling eastbound along Highway 212 when the accident occurred. Miraculously, the driver of the SUV was lucky to survive the collision without any serious injuries. He didn’t even require hospital care, authorities say.
Police suspect that alcohol played a role in causing the collision, along with snow on the highway at the time of the accident, which happened at around 7:30 p.m. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is currently investigating the collision to determine the exact cause the crash and whether to issue criminal citations against the SUV driver.
The identity of the 26-year-old victim was not immediately released. The county coroner’s office said it planned to make the identity public in the days following the crash.
The crash brought a sad and unfortunate end to a month-long streak of no traffic-related fatalities in Montana. State transportation officials said that Montana had not had such a zero fatality stretch in more than 10 years.
Unfortunately, most vehicle crashes and fatalities that happen in Montana could have been avoided — especially those caused by intoxicated drivers. If you lost a loved one in a fatal drunk driving collision, make sure you investigate the accident thoroughly to determine whether the at-fault driver is financially liable for your loss.
Source: kpax.com, “Montana sees first fatal car accident in more than a month,” March 31, 2018