EBS STAFF
On Friday night, Oct. 27 around 10:25 p.m., Gallatin County Sheriff, Montana Highway Patrol and Big Sky Fire Department responded to a reported single-vehicle accident on Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail) across from the Powder Light apartments.
The driver suffered “fairly significant injuries,” according to Sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Haydon, and was resistant to initial efforts by BSFD to extricate and provide medical treatment.
Following protocol, BSFD stood back and allowed law enforcement to step in to make sure the driver could be safely detained in order to receive medical treatment, Haydon explained in a phone call with EBS on Saturday morning.
For public safety, law enforcement officers closed two-way traffic on Highway 64 for about 20 minutes between 10:30 and 11 p.m.
Eventually, the scene was deemed safe for the fire department to step in and the crash victim was transported to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center for treatment. The road was reopened to regular traffic.
“I want to highlight that the steps that we took were [intended] to build time and distance to allow for the safety of the person in the crash, the safety of the public, and the safety of the responding agencies,” Haydon said.
An investigation is ongoing, and Haydon was not able to provide the name of the crash victim.
More information regarding possible criminal charges will be available as early as Monday.
