Four Flathead Valley teens were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a late-night car crash in Evergreen on Sept. 19.
According to Montana Highway Patrol, a man driving a Dodge pickup truck crossed over the center turn lane on U.S. 2 near the Evergreen Fire Station just before midnight. The Dodge swerved into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a Nissan SUV carrying five teenagers.
Four teenage girls in the Nissan were transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, officials said. The fifth teenager in the Nissan, a boy, sustained only minor injuries.
The driver of the Dodge also sustained minor injuries, according to authorities.
Montana Highway Patrol declined to comment on whether any charges have been filed, or whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash. The wreck remains under investigation.
Two of the teenage girls were later flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah to receive
medical care, according to updates posted to GoFundMe pages organized by relatives.
Madalynn Strash, 14, suffered injuries that included a fractured lower back, fractured hip, separated pelvis, broken right wrist and left hand, broken nose, fractured eye socket, three broken ribs that lacerated her right lung, a torn aorta and damage to her spleen, colon and intestines. A blood clot in her neck and brain caused a major stroke, and she is still in a medically induced coma.
Seventeen-year-old Brooklynn Osborne, who was driving the Nissan at the time of the crash according to updates from the family, sustained a broken pelvis, shattered right arm, fractured femur, lacerations to her kidney and spleen and a collapsed lung. She has undergone multiple surgeries in Salt Lake City and is now going through physical and speech therapy.
The two other teenage girls were treated locally and have since been discharged but face lengthy recoveries.
Hailey Keefe, 16, suffered a broken jaw, facial fractures, a fractured skull, multiple spinal fractures from C7 through T2, three pelvic fractures, shoulder blade fractures and badly bruised lungs.
Shay Langlois sustained two lacerations to the head and a spinal fracture that required eight screws and two rods in her back, according to updates posted to a GoFundMe.
Community fundraisers have been organized to support the four girls. On Oct. 2 from 4-9 p.m., the Silver Bullet Bar and Casino is hosting a spaghetti feed and auction with live music and dancing. The Columbia Falls Boys and Girls Club is likewise hosting a spaghetti dinner and auction on Oct. 24.
Further updates from the family as well as fundraising information and ways to support the teenagers are at facebook.com/ groups/1630070832078036/.
Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or eericksen@dailyinterlake. com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.
