SHEPHERD – A Billings woman and a Manhattan teenager died following separate crashes near Shepherd on February 2 and February 7.
The most recent incident occurred on February 7 at approximately 2:41 p.m. at the intersection of Shepherd Road and Highland Drive. A Ford F-150 traveling north attempted to make a left turn in front of a southbound Nissan Altima. The vehicles collided at the intersection.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the driver of the Nissan, a 44-year-old Billings woman, was transported to Billings Clinic, where she later succumbed to her injuries. She was not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the Ford, a 46-year-old man from Big Timber, along with two passengers—a 57-year-old woman from Billings and a 53-year-old woman from Big Timber—sustained injuries and were treated at Billings Clinic. All three individuals were wearing seatbelts, the patrol reported. Speed is a potential factor in the crash.
Earlier, on February 2 at about 11:40 a.m., a two-vehicle crash occurred on Homer Davis Road at the intersection with Twelve Mile Road. A Toyota Corolla driven by a 20-year-old woman from Emigrant was southbound on Twelve Mile Road when she failed to stop at a stop sign. The vehicle was struck by a Ford F-350 driven by a 21-year-old Shepherd man.
The driver of the Toyota sustained injuries and was treated at Billings Clinic. A 19-year-old female passenger from Manhattan was transported to St. Vincent Regional Hospital and later died from her injuries. The pickup truck driver was uninjured. All individuals involved were wearing seatbelts, according to the patrol, which noted possible drug use by the Toyota driver is under investigation.