Charges filed in car vs. house crash

The driver of a vehicle that crashed into a Highland Park home early Tuesday has been charged with nine misdemeanor offenses in connection with the incident.

The woman, Lorena Foursouls II, 18, of Box Elder remains in Northern Montana Hospital. The lone occupant of the vehicle, she suffered serious injuries and was taken from the scene by ambulance, Havre Assistant Police Chief Mike Barthel said.

She was in fair condition today in the intensive care unit, hospital spokeswoman Kathie Newell said.

Foursouls was charged this week in Havre City Court with driving under the influence of intoxicants, negligent endangerment, reckless driving, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, driving without a license, a stop sign violation, minor in possession of an intoxicant, failure to carry proof of insurance and a seat belt violation, Barthel said today.

Foursouls is accused of driving through a stop sign at the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and 13th Street West about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday and crashing into a house.

The car was driven through the T-intersection, over a lawn and struck a house on the south side of 13th Street West.

The vehicle, a 1994 Ford Taurus, was taken without permission from a residence in the 1200 block of 10th Street West, Barthel said. The registered owner is a relative of Foursouls, he added.

The car went through a wall and into two bedrooms on the north side of a house belonging to Dave and Cyndi Leeds. The room that sustained the most damage was unoccupied, though debris was thrown into the master bedroom where the Leedses were sleeping, Barthel said.

"It's the type of alarm you don't like waking up to," Dave Leeds said later that morning. "It was the largest crash I've ever heard."

The couple heard a woman moaning and called 911, he added.

Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene at 4:33 a.m, Barthel said. Police arrived three minutes later and administered first aid to Foursouls for several minutes until an amblulance crew arrived, he added.

The driver's side door to the car could not be opened, and Foursouls was trapped inside the vehicle, Barthel said. It took emergency crews 17 minutes to extract her from the car, and she was taken to the hospital, he added.

The car had extensive damage and was towed from the scene, Barthel said. Both airbags were deployed in the crash.

Construction crews have been working this week to repair the damage to the house. A worker with Korb Construction said today he did not have an estimate on the cost of repairs.

The Leedses could not be reached for comment today.