A 31-year-old man involved in a rollover near Libby on Sunday has died, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Tyler A. Ruhter died at Kalispell Regional Medical Center on Wednesday, three days after the vehicle he was driving crashed on Pipe Creek Road north of Libby. Ruhter was one of three people inside the vehicle. Joseph Wesley Barnes remains in critical condition. A 13-year-old passenger received non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe, his deputies were dispatched at 6:18 p.m. on Sept. 6 to a crash on Pipe Creek Road at about mile marker 3. Upon arrival, responders found a 2004 Ford pickup truck had rolled with the passengers inside.
Bowe said Ruhter appeared to lose control while driving northbound, failing to negotiate a curve. He overcorrected and rolled multiple times.
None of the passengers were wearing seat belts, and all three were ejected from the truck during the crash, according to Bowe.
Alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash, Bowe said.
Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the wreck.
Emergency responders included the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Libby Ambulance, Advanced Life Support, Life Flight, ALERT, and the Libby Volunteer Fire Department.