Captain recovering after collision

POLSON — Less than two days after a fatal head-on collision killed a Montana Highway Patrol trooper near Kalispell, Lake County Sheriff’s Captain Luc Mathias was put in the hospital after being rear-ended by a reckless driver at a Polson Hill traffic stop.

At approximately 1:09 p.m. on March 25, Captain Mathias had pulled over on the hill with his lights activated to check on a vehicle that hit the guardrail and stopped at milemarker 58 of U.S. Highway 93. Seconds later, his patrol vehicle was rear-ended at a high rate of speed by a Jeep.

Mathias was transported by another sheriff’s deputy to St. Joseph Medical Center, where he was released later in the day with minor neck and thoracic injuries from whiplash. According to Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Sargeant, the captain was wearing his seatbelt which prevented serious injuries or death.

“In this case, buckling up saved Luc,” Sargeant said. “Otherwise he’d probably been put through the windshield with the significant impact his vehicle took.”

Jacqueline Queen, of Pablo, was the driver of the Jeep that struck Mathias. Queen was transported to St. Luke Hospital where she was reportedly released from later on Wednesday with minor injuries and facial abrasions.

The sheriff’s lieutenant added that the weather, slushy road conditions and rate-of-speed inappropriate for those conditions played a role in the roadside crash. The accident is still under investigation by Montana Highway Patrol.

“Even after the accident, there were people still blowing by 55 to 60 miles per hour in that mess, and all they’d have to do to prevent something like this is slow down 10-15 miles per hour,” Sargeant said.

In the meantime, Lt. Sargeant said Mathias is a “very sore individual” taking a few days off from work to recover from his injuries and the close-call he survived.

A Montana Highway Patrolman wasn’t so lucky on March 23, when 28-year-old Trooper Mike Haynes fell victim to a wrong-way, head-on crash on Hwy 93 near Kalispell. Haynes succumbed to his fatal injuries four days later in the hospital. A memorial service was held for the fallen trooper on Tuesday.

After reportedly almost 30 years without any fatalities, Haynes is the third Highway Patrol trooper out of the Kalispell district to die in the line of duty in the past 18 months. Seven Highway Patrol troopers have been killed in the state patrol’s 74 year of existence.

“We would all ask, and greatly appreciate, that when you see active emergency vehicles on the road — take due notice,” Sargeant added.