POLSON – Two young men are dead and a third is hurt after their SUV plunged off a 25-foot cliff into the Flathead River below Kerr Dam.
The Lake County sheriff’s office identified the victims as 23-year-old Joshua J. Clairmont and 20-year-old Drew A. Taylor, both of Missoula. Taylor had recently moved to Montana from Las Vegas.
Undersheriff Jay Doyle says the driver, 24-year-old Shane Steffans of Missoula, was hospitalized in stable condition Monday in Kalispell. Officials say the crash happened at about 3 a.m. Saturday. Steffans crawled out of the wrecked vehicle and found someone who could call 911 at about 1 p.m. Saturday. Lake County officials used GPS technology to track the location of the 911 call.
Two helicopters and 45 rescuers combined to locate the vehicle upside down in the river.
Authorities say speed and alcohol are believed to have played roles in the crash.