5 people are killed in two-vehicle crash near Libby

Th e Montana Highway Patrol said five people were killed and one person was badly injured in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 2 east of Libby on Monday. Trooper Bryce Ford said a Dodge Stratus and a GMC Yukon were involved in the crash at about 10 a.m. Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened, but the crash happened on wet but clear roads. The vehicles were traveling in opposite directions, but Ford said the wreck was not a head-on collision. The driver of the Dodge, 68-yearold Jack Flasche of Troy, was killed in the accident, along with his 66-year-old wife Lois and passenger Theresa Merritt, 55, also of Troy. The driver of the SUV, 41-year-old Sherry Thompson of Eureka, was killed, along with her 10-year-old daughter Kendra. Thompson's 16-yearold son Braden survived and was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment. The wreck closed the highway for about four hours. Lincoln County Sheriff Daryl Anderson said a team specializing in computerized crash reconstruction is expected to arrive on the scene today. "It was raining so hard, just pouring down," he said. "Whatever happened, it was a real mess."