A Polson man is accused of a drunk-driving crash that caused his passenger to suffer a broken back. Cheyenne Blue Bighawk, 37, entered a plea of not guilty in Polson District Court Oct. 19 to negligent vehicular assault-serious bodily injury, a felony.

According to charging documents, on May 18, law enforcement responded to a report of a vehicle on its top in a creek on North Foothills Road. Bighawk admitted to the responding officer that he had been driving the vehicle.

Another emergency responder was assisting the injured passenger who kept drifting in and out of consciousness. The injured passenger was transported to St. Luke Hospital in Ronan where it was determined she had suffered a fractured vertebrae. She was then transported to St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula.

The officers who responded to the accident scene described Bighawk as loud, belligerent and aggressive. They also said he kept getting in the way of officers who were helping the injured passenger. Bighawk later admitted to consuming a fifth of Crown Royal a half hour prior to the accident.

Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set the trial for March 11. Bighawk was released on his own recognizance.