Vehicle submerged in Flathead River
EMILY MESSER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 day, 10 hours AGO
In the Flathead River the white truck sits on the river bottom with no one inside on Dec. 3. (Emily Messer/Leader)
EMS, Polson Rural Fire, City of Polson Fire, Lake County Sheriff's Department and many others dispatched to the scene near Polson Dec. 3 after a truck was reported submerged in the Flathead River. (Emily Messer/Leader)
Emily Messer joined the Lake County Leader in July of 2025 after earning a B.A. degree in Journalism from the University of Montana. Emily grew up on a farm in the rolling hills of southeast Missouri and enjoys covering agriculture and conservation. She's lived in Montana since 2022 and honed her reporter craft with the UM J-School newspaper and internships with the RMEF Bugle Magazine and the Missoulian. At the Leader she covers the St. Ignatius Town Council, Polson City Commission and a variety of business, lifestyle and school news. | December 3, 2025 4:40 PM
Around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 a call rang out over dispatch for a vehicle in the Flathead River on the corner of 7th Avenue and Kerr Dam Road in Polson.
Lake County Sheriff, Polson Rural Fire Department, City of Polson Fire Department, Polson Ambulance, City of Polson Police Department, Lake County Search and Rescue and many others were quickly dispatched.
According to City of Polson fire captain Adam Reed, the white truck, which could be seen from above the river, matched the description of a vehicle that was reported stolen over the weekend.
Sheriff Don Bell said due to no tracks in the snow, he believes the vehicle has been there since before the last snow fall.
First responders were able to get an underwater drone into the water to determine that no one was inside before devising a plan to remove the vehicle. Mark Clary, the emergency management coordinator for Lake County Office of Emergency Management, said the plan is to coordinate with the Tribal Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Services coordinator McKennah Andrews Thursday before removing the vehicle with Lake County Search and Rescue and Draggin' Wagon Towing.
EMS, Polson Rural Fire, City of Polson Fire, Lake County Sheriff's Department and many others dispatched to the scene near Polson Dec. 3 after a truck was reported submerged in the Flathead River. (Emily Messer/Leader)ARTICLES BY EMILY MESSER
Vehicle submerged in Flathead River
Around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 a call rang out over dispatch for a vehicle in the Flathead River on the corner of 7th Avenue and Kerr Dam Road in Polson.
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