Wrecks remind drivers to pay close attention

POLSON — Local emergency crews responded to two minor accidents within a 35-minute window at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 93 and MT Hwy. 35 Sunday afternoon. As summer traffic picks up around town, authorities urge drivers to pay attention behind the wheel.

At 12:22 p.m., careless merging resulted in a two-car accident in the northbound lane of Hwy. 93, just past the Hwy. 35 intersection.

“The first driver was stopped at the “Y” on Hwy. 35 and 93, getting ready to turn onto U.S. 93 North and the second driver was traveling through the intersection with a green light,” Polson Police Officer Michelle Scott said. “Driver one stopped at the stop sign, then started to merge and moved into the left lane, but did not see a truck in a flatbed trailer that was already occupying that lane and side-swiped it.”

Scott said speed was not a factor.

“Driver one’s vehicle sustained quite a bit of damage on the driver’s side,” Scott said. “He will receive a citation for failure to yield to oncoming traffic.”

A woman required a ride in the Polson Ambulance after her car rear-ended another vehicle in the southbound lane of Hwy. 93 while Scott and Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Levi Reed were processing the first accident scene.

“I heard squealing tires, turned around and saw the impact of a little car rear-end a Jeep,” Scott said. “[The first] vehicle needed to be towed, but driver two was able to drive the second vehicle away.”

Scott said she did not know what injuries, if any, the first driver had been treated for.

“We’re going into that time of year where tourist traffic can get pretty congested and be bumper to bumper,” she said. “My encouragement for drivers is just to keep your eyes on the road, taking care of that primary responsibility and not texting or talking on the phone.”

While Scott could not confirm that the second accident was a result of rubber-necking, based on her report and the reports of witnesses in the area, she did cite the driver of the car for careless driving.

“The driver’s No. 1 job is to drive the car without distraction,” she said. “Drivers need to look a little bit further down the roadway to anticipate any traffic hazards or challenges.”

She added, if an accident does occur, law enforcement recommends they stay inside the vehicle and out of the roadway.

“Those kinds of things happen,” Scott said. “But the good thing was that this time, people were able to walk away from it.”

Five law enforcement officers were on scene from Polson Police, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Polson Montana Highway Patrol arrived to assist as did Polson Ambulance and Polson Fire.