Libby woman helps injured man after accident

Libby resident Kasie Kim was driving to work on Tuesday morning when she saw two teenagers standing on the side of Kootenai River Road roughly one mile west of Highway 37. She stopped to see if they needed assistance and discovered that their vehicle had slid approximately 25 yards off the road and was pinned between some trees, with a passenger trapped inside.

Kim found a man with a bleeding head wound inside the vehicle. She grabbed a towel and applied pressure to the wound until emergency services arrived a few moments later.

The sport utility vehicle was being driven by a 15-year old girl with a valid Montana learner’s permit. Her father and another juvenile were in the car at the time of the accident.

Sheriff’s deputy Bo Pitman, who investigated the scene, attributed the accident to slippery roads. The girl was passing a slow-moving vehicle when she lost control on the icy road and slid into the trees.

Lincoln County Undersheriff Brent Faulkner said these kinds of accidents are frequent during the late fall and early winter, as drivers have to readjust to slippery conditions.

“We see this every year,” he said. “Drivers need to slow down and take conditions into account.”

Both juveniles were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident, and neither of them was injured. The father, who was not buckled, was injured and transported to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center. No report on his condition was available.