Two hurt in Jette crash

POLSON — Emergency responders were dispatched for a two-vehicle crash around 9:29 a.m. Tuesday. When they arrived on scene, they were in for a shock.

“It was quite a crash scene,” MHP trooper Terrance Rosenbaum said.

A 1990 Subaru had been waiting in the middle of the northbound lane of U.S. Highway 93 to make a left turn onto Partridge Trail at the bottom of Jette Hill. Suddenly, a 2004 Crown Victoria slammed into the Subaru, shoving the station wagon off the road and into the ditch. The white Crown Victoria spun clockwise and landed broadside in the southbound lane.

Seconds later, a 2013 Chevy Silverado hauling a trailer full of irrigation pipe barreled into the sedan.

“The Crown Victoria literally ripped in two,” Rosenbaum said.

Each vehicle had one person inside. The driver of the Subaru, a Polson resident, and the driver of the pick-up truck, a Lakeside resident, were transported to St. Joseph Medical Center and were later released with minor injuries. The driver of the Crown Victoria, a 32-year-old male from Big Arm, escaped the crash without injury.

Rosenbaum said it was apparent what kept them all safe.

“What saved everybody, I truly believe, was that everybody was wearing their seatbelts,” he said.

The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, but Rosenbaum said road conditions were not to blame. Cell phone use and following too closely are definitely factors in the wreck and drug use may be another.

In most cases, troopers have a hard time discerning if cell phones are a factor because drivers will not admit to using them at the time of the accident.

“Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time they’ll say no even thought there’s no law against using cell phones [while driving],” Rosenbaum said.

This time was different. The driver was on the phone with a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy when the crash occurred. Drugs and drug paraphernalia were found in the vehicle and the 32-year-old was taken to St. Luke’s Community Healthcare to have his blood drawn for analysis, Rosenbaum said.

The accident backed up traffic on the highway for about an hour and a half, but the road was all clear by midmorning.