A motorist was seriously injured in a multi-vehicle crash Thursday morning on U.S. 93 in Happy Valley after being trapped inside a crushed car for nearly an hour before rescuers could free her using power tools.  

The wreck occurred around 8:40 a.m., Sept. 10, after a 39-year-old woman turning from Hodgson Road onto U.S. 93 failed to yield to a vehicle traveling northbound, according to Montana Highway Patrol officials. The collision pushed the northbound vehicle into the southbound lanes, where it was struck by a third vehicle.  

Firefighters used specialized rescue tools to free the woman, prying open the roof and two side doors of her white sedan that came to rest off the southbound lane with a chain-link fence folded over the top of it.  

Because of the extent of the car's damage, rescue crews took nearly an hour to free her, according to Whitefish Fire Captain Ben Fassnacht. 

The woman was taken to Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell with serious injuries, according to Highway Patrol.  

The drivers of the other two vehicles, a 47-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl, were transported to Logan Health in Whitefish with minor injuries, according to Highway Patrol. 

Ambulances with Big Mountain Fire District, Whitefish Fire Department and Three Rivers EMS transported the injured, according to Fassnacht. 

One of three cars involved in the wreck sat askew in the middle of the southbound lane immediately following the collisions. The front of the green SUV was crushed and debris coated the road.  

The crash caused significant traffic delays for morning commuters. The southbound lanes were blocked for about an hour and a half, with traffic diverted to Hodgson Road, according to Montana Highway Patrol.  

The crash remained under investigation.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.