Two motorcyclists killed in weekend crashes in Lincoln County

A Kalispell woman and an Idaho man were killed in two motorcycle crashes in Lincoln County over the weekend.

Shortly before noon Friday, Jennifer Lynn Campbell, 53, of Kalispell was riding a 2004 Harley-Davidson motorcycle south on Highway 37 when she crashed near milemarker 26.

Campbell “was not wearing a helmet and received fatal injuries when she entered the wooded area at the edge of the highway” while riding in a leftward corner, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

CPR was in progress when the crash was reported to Lincoln County Sheriff’s dispatch.

Campbell was riding with a group of friends who were following her, but had no passenger and was the only motorcycle involved in the crash, the Montana Highway Patrol reported.

Authorities suspect driver error, not alcohol or speeding, caused the crash. The road was described as bare and dry and the weather sunny.

At about 2:52 a.m. Sunday, Andrew Small, 40, of Moyie Springs, Idaho, died after the Yamaha sportbike he was riding west on Highway 2 in Montana near the Idaho border “was laid down in the eastbound lane” after taking a right corner “at a high rate of speed,” according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

The bike slid for about 254 feet while rotating and came to a rest while straddling the border.

Small was wearing a helmet.

“(It is) unknown if alcohol is a factor at this point in the investigation,” Trooper Katherine Trewick said by email. “Blood tests have been gathered to make that conclusion.”

Speed is a suspected factor in the crash, which was reported by a passing motorist. No other vehicles or people were involved.

The road conditions were reported as clear and dry.

Small’s was the 74th fatal crash and the 78th death on Montana roads as of Monday, according to Captain Duane K. Bowers, District 6 Commander of the Montana Highway Patrol in Kalispell.