Two injured in mountainside accident

Two motorists, a 30-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, were taken to separate hospitals Sunday afternoon after this 1999 Dodge pickup went off the road through a guardrail on the Forest Development Road about two miles north of the Libby Dam Visitor’s Center. The two people were travelling south in the truck when it went off the road. The man was transported by helicopter to Kalispell Regional Medical Center to be treated for head and neck injuries. The woman was transported by Libby Volunteer Ambulance to St. John’s Lutheran Hospital. Sgt. Sean Finley, the investigating officer with the Montana Highway Patrol, said the injuries did not appear to be life threatening. Finley measured skid marks for about 200 feet, as seen in the photo at right. Finley said he could not yet release the names of the accident victims, but he said excessive speed and alcohol were factors in the accident that was reported at 3:49 p.m. Sunday. The vehicle traveled about 100 feet down the mountainside before stopping.