A 35-year-old man was killed when the vehicle he was driving was struck head-on by an allegedly drunk driver on U.S. Highway 93 between Pablo and Ronan early Friday morning.
Ryan Lefthand died instantly in the crash, according to a press release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The press release states that around midnight Thursday a deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a woman accused of driving while intoxicated within Polson city limits. The driver initially complied but fled the scene when asked to step out of her vehicle, and traveled southbound on U.S. 93 at speeds reportedly in excess of 100 mph.
South of Pablo, at a spot known as Lake’s Corner, the woman’s vehicle crossed into the northbound lanes and collided with Lefthand’s vehicle. The unidentified woman survived the crash and was transported to the hospital.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Lefthand’s death and the Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Both investigations are ongoing.