Victim in fatal car wreck identified

Authorities have identified the Libby man found dead after a car accident last week.

Charles Stambaugh, 57, drove off U.S. Highway 2 early in the morning on Feb. 11*, according to Trooper Eric Power of the Montana High Patrol. Power said the cause of death remains unknown.

Stambaugh was headed west on U.S. 2 in a Ford Aerostar. At mile marker 44.7, near Libby, he drove off the north shoulder for unknown reasons. The car went 190 feet through a burrow pit before striking a tree. Stambaugh was wearing a seatbelt. Road conditions were icy at the time.

Investigators with the Montana Highway Patrol do not suspect alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident.

Stambaugh was the 23rd fatality on Montana roads in 2021.

*The date has been corrected.