Car crashes into city vehicle
Karen Peterson
Emergency crews help one of the injured victims that was in the maroon car when it crashed.
Karen Peterson
A maroon Buick stops on its side in a driveway after crashing into a city truck.
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson/Valley Journal Mark Clary was driving the Ronan City truck above when it was hit.
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
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RONAN – A maroon car landed in the driveway of Ronan Volunteer Fire Captain Chris Adler’s home after it hit current Ronan Fire Chief Mark Clary as he was driving a white one-ton City of Ronan Department of Public Work’s truck while working for the Ronan City Water Department.
Ronan Volunteer Firefighter Robert Jennison responded to the scene along with many other emergency personnel.
“The maroon car hit the one-ton and spun it around,” he said. “Mark was shaken up a bit and had a laceration on his head, and they took him to the hospital.”
The incident occurred on Tuesday, April 5, at around 1:30 p.m. between the intersection at Buchanan Street and 4th Avenue in a residential area.
Ronan Police Chief Ken Weaver said the maroon car was traveling southbound on First Avenue when it took the corner and continued traveling at a very high rate of speed near the Ronan City Park and went through the stop sign at the intersection on Fourth Avenue.
“He ran the stop sign and struck the city vehicle in the intersection,” said Chief Weaver.
Both occupants of the maroon car were in the front seat when it hit the city truck and rolled. One of the occupants was immediately taken to St. Luke. The second occupant was removed from the car by the Ronan Fire Department with the Jaws of Life and was taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson.
The maroon car took out Adler’s chain-link fence, scraped the edge of his garage, and landed sideways next to a small truck owned by Adler’s son.
During the incident, the left rear tire came off and ended up about 100 yards away. Jeremy Cisney was outside with his daughter about a block away when the wreck occurred. He is a mechanic and could name the many pieces of debris littering the street from the wreck.
“I was sitting in the yard when the control arm from under the car hit my yard,” he said. “It sounded like he rolled two or three times. I had just got done mowing my lawn when I heard it.”
Students at the Mountain Heights Christian School near the accident said they heard a big boom and went out to see what happened. They kept a safe distance from the scene.
Adler went to the scene after the wreck.
“I’ve lived here all my life,” he said. “I ran a wrecker for 26 years. I’ve seen all kinds of things, and I didn’t think something like this would happen to my house.”
The car barely missed taking out the garage, Adler said, and “thankfully” nothing caught on fire.
“It could have been worse,” he said.
The Montana Highway Patrol is conducting an investigation into the crash.Sergeant Tammy Perkins said that blood results were not yet finished concerning the toxicology report. She said charges are pending until those results are finished.
Chief Weaver added that no deaths occurred as a result of the wreck with the three people involved, and the driver did have confirmed insurance. He added that Clary recovered from the incident and is back at work.
