Authorities say that a passenger car was swerving across four lanes of traffic Tuesday on U.S. 2 north of Kalispell before it caused a crash that killed the driver.

The crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday, when emergency dispatch said that it was “overloaded” with 911 calls about the collision just north of the Birch Grove Road intersection.

Three vehicles were involved in the crash, according to a Montana Highway Patrol trooper on scene. A northbound blue Oldsmobile had entered oncoming traffic and struck a sport utility vehicle nearly head-on. The SUV then crashed into a pickup truck.

The driver of the Oldsmobile was pronounced dead at the scene. A mother and infant who were in the SUV were taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center via ambulance. 

A passenger in the Oldsmobile also was injured and transported to the hospital.

Debris was strewn across the northbound lane of U.S. 2 while emergency crews responded. The hood of the blue car was peeled back and its windshield smashed.

Responders used machinery to remove the door of the car and extract the driver. 

The identities of the dead driver and the injured have not been released.

Glacier Park International Airport Fire, Evergreen Fire Rescue, Three Rivers Ambulance, Montana Highway Patrol and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

Because of the crash, northbound traffic was backed up as far as Rose Crossing an hour after the accident. The accident scene was cleared at 6:15 p.m.