HELENA — A 23-year-old Helena man was killed and three other people were injured in a head-on collision that the Montana Highway Patrol says was caused when the man tried to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone.
The patrol says the man was westbound on U.S. Highway 12 near Avon on Wednesday morning when he attempted the illegal pass and struck an eastbound sport utility vehicle. The car then spun around and hit the back of a passing semitrailer.
The driver died at the scene. His name hasn’t been released. His passenger, a 57-year-old Helena woman, was flown to a Missoula hospital. Neither was wearing a seat belt.
A 35-year-old Missoula woman and a 15-year-old boy in the SUV were taken to the hospital in Helena. The patrol says both were wearing seat belts.