MT Highway 7 crash claims life of local

One teenager died and another was injured in a crash on Highway 7 early Saturday morning, March 19.

The Montana Highway Patrol said the two people were headed south near mile marker 9 at about 2:30 a.m. when the car went off the road and rolled several times into a pasture.

The driver of the car, a nineteen-year old male from Ekalaka, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. A 17-year old male passenger, also from Ekalaka, sustained minor injuries and was taken to Dahl Memorial Healthcare.

According to Montana Highway Patrol, alcohol and speed are believed to have been factors in the crash, and neither individual was wearing a seatbelt.

The tragedy marks the second death on Highway 7 near Ekalaka in the last few months. A 23-year old female died in a rollover crash on Highway 7 near mile marker 12 on January 12 when she lost control of the car she was driving and struck a bridge railing.