Police car crashes in Pablo
Photo by Jennifer McBride -- A tribal policeman examines a crash scene involving a police vehicle Monday evening. A policeman veered off the road in the construction zone after an intoxicated driver allegedly turned in front of him.
By Jennifer McBride / Leader Staff
PABLO — A Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Law and Order vehicle crashed headlong into a parked construction grader along Highway 93 in Pablo at 9:25 p.m. Monday.
Highway Patrol Trooper Jim Sanderson, the officer investigating the crash, said that the tribal policeman was responding to another call when a driver, later arrested for driving under the influence, made an abrupt left turn in front of him. The tribal policeman swerved to avoid her and hit the grader head-on. The intoxicated driver had no previous DUI arrests in the state of Montana and is new to the area, Sanderson said. There were no evident injuries to either driver.
Rob McDonald, a spokesperson for the tribal government, said that there was "no visible damage" to the construction equipment but the police vehicle was "totalled." McDonald also said that it was unusual for a tribal police vehicle to have an accident unless there was an animal involved.
"Nothing like this has happened in recent memory," he said.