Victim of fatal head-on collision identified

A 23-year-old woman from Montana was killed and two Canadians were injured following a head-on collision Wednesday afternoon on U.S. 93 northwest of Whitefish.

The victim has been identified as Casey Faye Wood of Eureka.

The crash occurred near the intersection of U.S. 93 and Farm to Market Road at about noon. Traffic was backed up for about two hours while emergency crews attended to the accident scene.

According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper John Underwood, a man driving a black Mazda 6 from Alberta was southbound on U.S. 93 at mile marker 138 when he began to pull off onto the right shoulder and lost control of the vehicle. The driver overcorrected to the left, causing the vehicle to fishtail.

The Mazda crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Honda Accord driven by Wood. The Accord rolled into the northbound ditch.

Wood was wearing her seat belt, but was pinned in her vehicle because of severe front-end damage. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The passenger in the Mazda was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center via ALERT helicopter. She was wearing a seat belt. The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

The accident remains under investigation.