Leader delivery held up in south county

Subcontractor rolled his delivery truck

A short time before Jason Cass of Ronan launched the 2011 Dodge king cab truck he was driving into the air, two citizens notified emergency dispatchers a drunk driver was swerving erratically on the southbound side of Highway 93, Jeremy Lee, Montana Highway Patrol Trooper said.

But before law enforcement officers located the truck, Cass, who was traveling southbound near Post Creek Hill at 7:50 p.m. June 8, drifted into the northbound land and into a driveway embankment. When Cass’ truck hit the embankment it launched into the air and flipped, Lee said. 

Seconds later, it landed in a ditch nearby. There were no other vehicles in the area at the time of the accident, Lee said. 

Cass, who was not wearing a seatbelt, remained in the truck’s cab as the truck flipped forward,” he said.

“Alcohol was involved,” Lee said.

Emergency workers extricated Cass from his truck and transported him to St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan for treatment. 

Cass was charged with misdemeanor driving while under the influence and a misdemeanor seatbelt violation.

Cass was in the process of delivering the Lake County Leader to several south county locations when the accident took place. 

Cass is not an employee of the Lake County Leader, but is related to the subcontractor, Ken Britton, hired to make the deliveries.

Cass was scheduled to make his initial appearance in Lake County Justice Court June 15.

The Leader newspaper was stalled from its normal delivery route because of the accident, but was delivered a short time later.

Cass said in a later interview that he swerved to miss an oncoming white, four-door sedan that drifted into the northbound lane, which forced him to the driveway embankment, catapulted him 30-feet into the air, rolled end-to-end and on its side about five times before coming to rest a couple hundred yards away.

Cass said that he received about 20 stitches to his forehead, but otherwise, was unharmed in the accident. 

Cass said no alcohol was involved in the crash and that he was given one ticket for failing to wear his seatbelt.

Cass said his wife, Tina Cass, will deliver the next newspaper.