Arlee basketball coach killed in head-on collision

The community of Arlee is grieving the loss of 29-year-old Anthony J. "Nugget" Whiteman Runs Him, who died after colliding with a large truck in Ravalli last Thursday, Oct. 31.

According to the Highway Patrol, the wreck occurred at around 5:50 p.m. when the driver of a Ford F150, who was southbound on U.S. 93 near Holt Lane in Ravalli, crossed into the northbound lane and crashed into an oncoming Kenworth Construction truck with seven occupants, including five children, ages 1 to 11.

The driver of the Ford, Whiteman Runs Him, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Kenworth, a 32-year-old St. Ignatius man, was transported to St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula, as were two passengers, a 32-year-old woman and a child, age 3. The other children, ages 1, 5, 9 and 11 were uninjured. According to the Highway Patrol report, none of the occupants of the Kenworth were wearing seatbelts.

As of press time, the cause of the accident was unknown.

Whiteman Runs Him coached basketball for Arlee High School and had worked for the CSKT Division of Fire and BIA Wildland Fire. CSKT fire division flew flags at half mast in his honor, and in a Facebook post, called him "a great firefighter, husband and father."

According to an obituary posted online, his funeral mass was held Tuesday at the Arlee Community Center. He leaves behind his wife, Shandiin “Sisi,” and children Kloli, ?ošim, Honor Moses, Jep and Momo.