Local woman killed in head-on crash

A Columbia Falls woman was killed in a head-on crash Monday evening in Evergreen, just east of the Flathead River bridge.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office has ID’d the victim as 48-year-old Jennifer Franklin.

According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper John Underwood, officers responded to the scene on Montana 35 near mile marker 49 at 6:14 p.m.

According to Underwood, Franklin was eastbound on Montana 35 in a 2002 Chevy pickup when icy road conditions caused her to lose control of the vehicle and cross the center line into the path of a 2011 Jeep Liberty traveling westbound.

The vehicles collided head-on, killing Franklin instantly and causing non life-threatening injuries to the driver of the Jeep.

The surviving party in the Jeep, a 60-year-old Kalispell woman, was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for treatment, Underwood said.

Underwood said other causes of the crash are still under investigation, but it appeared that the driver of the Jeep was wearing a seatbelt, while Franklin was not.

The crash caused total blockage of the highway for about three hours, according to Underwood, who is overseeing the investigation of the incident.

Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted with traffic control.

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