Man arrested for DUI after truck flies into dumpster

An errant pickup truck left U.S. 93 at Hutton Ranch Plaza on Sunday night and became airborne at the Walmart turnoff, ending up on top of a garbage bin, but fortunately with no one seriously injured.

Authorities arrested the driver, who allegedly crashed his truck into a dumpster in front of Cold Stone Creamery in Kalispell while driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the Kalispell Police Department.

Witnesses allegedly saw Eugene Kovalenko, 41, weaving in and out of traffic on U.S. 93 in his pickup, nearly hitting several drivers and going about 90 mph.

“Whether he meant to or not, he left [U.S.] 93 at the Walmart turnoff, went off a five-foot drop-off, went flying in the air and landed in the dumpster,” said Philip Granrud, who arrived on the scene and took photographs of the wreck.

Granrud said several shaken drivers stopped at the scene of the accident after the truck had allegedly almost hit them. Police call logs show multiple reports from drivers nearby reporting the incident.

Kovalenko was led away in handcuffs and taken to the hospital for a blood-alcohol test before he was transported to the Flathead County Detention Center.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.