Kalispell Man Pleads Not Guilty in Highway 2 Crash That Severely Injured Four Teens

The 36-year-old Kalispell man accused of swerving his pickup truck into an SUV carrying five teenagers in September while under the influence of drugs and alcohol has pleaded not guilty to four felony counts of vehicular assault and one felony count of criminal endangerment. Four of the teens were severely injured.

Riley Richard O’Brien entered the pleas Thursday in Flathead County District Court before District Judge Amy Eddy, with the gallery full of the victims’ supporters. He also faces a misdemeanor count of negligent vehicular assault and is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.

A trial date has not yet been set. The case will be reassigned to a new judge when Eddy leaves the bench following her election to the Montana Supreme Court last week.

According to charging documents filed Oct. 21 by Deputy Flathead County Attorney Ashley Johnson, law enforcement responded to a crash on U.S. Highway 2 near Meadowlark Drive in Evergreen at about 11:51 p.m. Sept. 19.

As first responders arrived, they requested mutual aid from multiple departments because of the number of victims and the severity of some injuries. Dispatch upgraded the call to a potential mass-casualty incident.

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper arrived to find a white SUV upright on the intersection’s southwest curb, with multiple occupants inside. A pickup truck was about 175 feet north of the SUV, on its roof.

Law enforcement helped emergency personnel remove the SUV’s occupants, who were four girls ages 14 to 17 and an 18-year-old man, according to the documents.

A Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputy contacted the pickup’s driver, identified as O’Brien, who showed signs of impairment. Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans were visible in the truck.

Asked by another officer what happened, O’Brien said, “I … crossed lanes I think. I’m not sure.” He said he was driving home to Kalispell from the VFW in Kalispell. Investigators noted that his normal route likely would not have taken him to Evergreen.

An officer also noted that O’Brien did not show concern for the occupants of the SUV he hit.

A motorist who saw the crash told authorities she was driving west on Highway 2 when the pickup swerved into the center turn lane, forcing her to swerve into the outer lane to avoid a collision.

O’Brien was taken to Logan Health in Whitefish, where he consented to a preliminary breath test at 1:25 a.m. It showed a blood alcohol content of .183. He then consented to a blood draw at 1:34 a.m., and the sample was sent to the Montana State Crime Lab.

The blood sample tested positive for ethanol, THC, SSRIs, lamotrigine, an antipsychotic medication and MDMA, according to an amended affidavit filed Nov. 9.

According to Logan Health medical records, O’Brien’s blood test showed an alcohol level of 240 mg/dL, or about .24 blood alcohol content (BAC), and a urinalysis was positive for illegal narcotics.

O’Brien told investigators he drank about seven beers that night, starting at 6 p.m. Surveillance footage confirmed he was at the VFW earlier in the evening.

Evergreen Fire Department footage captured the crash and the moments leading up to it. In the video, the witness is in the inside lane as O’Brien’s pickup travels east in the center turn lane at an estimated 58 mph, above the posted speed limit. The pickup then moves into the inner westbound lane as the witness pulls away to avoid a crash.

The white SUV’s headlights then appear in the inner westbound lane. The driver swerves right in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid O’Brien’s pickup.

At Logan Health, the 18-year-old man was diagnosed with a concussion and abrasions to his left hand. The 16-year-old girl had multiple fractures to her face and spine, as well as fractures to the base of her skull, her right jawbone and her pubic bone.

One of the 17-year-old girls shattered her sixth thoracic vertebra and underwent spinal surgery, during which doctors inserted multiple screws. She also had a large head laceration that required more than 10 staples. The other 17-year-old girl suffered a complex pelvic fracture, a fracture of the proximal humerus (upper arm bone) and lacerations to her spleen and kidney.

The 14-year-old girl remains hospitalized with the most extreme injuries, according to a GoFundMe page. They include a severe injury to her left hand, a Grade 2 splenic laceration and fractures to her pelvis and spine. Doctors have performed multiple brain surgeries, with more planned. Other operations removed dead tissue and repaired damaged bowel. She also broke multiple ribs, one of which lacerated her right lung, and was on a ventilator and other breathing machines for weeks.

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