An 86-year-old Kalispell man died Thursday afternoon after his vehicle struck a tree, rolled down an embankment and hit a rock in the Swan River in downtown Bigfork, according to the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP).
The motorist was driving a Ford Ranger southbound on Electric Avenue near Bridge Street at about 3 p.m. when the accident occurred, according to MHP. The vehicle was southbound on Electric Avenue “and continued for a short distance. The vehicle then struck a tree, went down an embankment and impacted with a rock within the river bed.”
The driver was wearing a seatbelt, according to MHP, but was pronounced dead at the scene.