Four from Whitefish injured in Conrad collision

Two women and two young boys from Whitefish were injured in a crash near Conrad in Pondera County on Tuesday morning that left one man dead and another child in critical condition.

Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Mike Jensen said Robert John Kirby, 65, of Brady was northbound on U.S. 91 in a Subaru Impreza at approximately 10:40 a.m. when he approached its intersection with Montana 44, where it appears he stopped at the stop sign.

What Kirby apparently didn’t notice, however, was the Ford Mustang eastbound on Montana 44 carrying the Whitefish residents. Jensen said the man pulled out to make a left-hand turn in front of the Mustang, which T-boned him at roughly 70 miles per hour.

Kirby was killed and all three of his passengers as well as all the occupants of the other vehicle were injured.

Jensen identified the driver of the Mustang as 47-year-old Katherine Swan and her passengers as Margaret Davis, 49, Seth Wilson, 8, and Levi Wilson, 9.

Swan initially was transported to a hospital in Shelby before being flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center and then to a hospital in Seattle with unknown injuries.

Davis and one of the boys were transported to the Pondera Medical Center in Conrad, where they were treated for minor bumps and bruises and released, while the other boy was treated for a broken collarbone in Shelby and released.

A woman in the Subaru was transported to Conrad and then flown to Great Falls for medical treatment, while a 9-year-old girl was transported to Conrad and flown to Spokane, where she was listed in critical condition Tuesday. An 8-year-old boy in the Subaru was transported to Conrad, where he was treated for minor injuries and released.

The amount of injured patients drew ambulances from several counties, according to Jensen, who said neither speed nor alcohol were factors in the crash.