A Ballantine woman died earlier this week following a crash just south of town.
The 32-year-old, whose name officials have not made public, died in the early hours of May 25 after striking a tree, according to a statement from the Montana Highway Patrol. The fatal crash is at least the third in Yellowstone County this month as law enforcement cautions drivers to be safe going into the holiday weekend.
The woman was alone in a Jeep northbound on South 16th Street late on the night of May 24, MHP said, between Ballantine and the I-94 interchange. The Jeep went off the left side of the road and hit a tree. The woman, who was reportedly not wearing a seat belt, was critically injured. Crews transported her to a Billings hospital, where she died a few hours later.
The crash remains under investigation by MHP, but alcohol and speed are suspected to be factors.
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Across the state, at least 53 people have died on Montana’s roads so far this year, according to preliminary data from MHP. Intoxicated driving is suspected to be a factor in roughly half of those fatal crashes. Compared to last year, fatalities are down by about three percent.
The Billings Police Department has been assigned to two fatal wrecks this month. In one instance, a 55-year-old motorcyclist died when another motorcycle struck him at the intersection of Fourth Avenue North and North 24th Street. Earlier this month, a Billings woman was traveling alone in an SUV on Grand Avenue when she struck a tree in front of a home between Third and Fourth Street West.
On Friday, MHP and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen warned that Memorial Day weekend begins the “deadliest days of summer,” when fatal crashes tend to increase nationwide. Along with encouraging drivers to adhere to speed limits, stay sober and wear seatbelts, MHP Colonel Steve Lavin said troopers will be on the state’s roads in full force throughout the summer.