Car accident shuts down U.S. 2 Friday

An unidentified Libby woman was injured in a single-car rollover at mile marker 39 on U.S. Highway 2 south of Libby Friday afternoon. Lincoln County dispatch received the call at 1:16 p.m., reporting a late-model Toyota Solara had gone off the road and rolled over in the depressed shoulder of the highway. Advanced Life Support and extrication teams were dispatched to the scene.

Sara Treichel said she saw everything but the actual rollover.

“She went past me, but I don’t think she was speeding,” Treichel said. “Her wheels just hit the dirt and she overcorrected.”

The car traveled approximately 100 yards in the soft dirt of the shoulder before rolling onto its top and trapping the driver inside. The driver was alone in the car.

Responders from Libby Volunteer Ambulance, Libby Volunteer Fire, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol worked to pry the car door off and remove the victim from the upside down car. The woman was transported to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center immediately following the accident and was then transported by air to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. An update on her condition was not available as of press time Monday afternoon.

As responders worked at the scene, traffic was closed in both directions on U.S. Highway 2, but the full closure lasted less than 30 minutes. Once the victim was extricated from her vehicle and carried away in the ambulance, responders were able to open one lane of traffic.

Messages left for the Montana Highway Patrol for additional information went unreturned as of press time.