GREAT FALLS — Three people died in a two-vehicle crash along Interstate 90 in Yellowstone County on Monday.
The crash near mile marker 448 happened shortly after noon in the westbound lanes between the exit at South 27th Street and the South Billings Boulevard exit.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the three people were in a 2008 Chevy Suburban checking on an abandonded vehicle on the shoulder of the road.
The Suburban then merged back on to the highway and did a 270-degree turn in the road, and an oncoming tractor-trailer was unable to avoid colliding with the Suburban.
The tractor-trailer crashed into the passenger side of the Suburban, and both vehicles went off the road, causing them to both collide with the cable barrier.
The driver of the tractor-trailer did not sustain serious injuries, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
The three people in the Suburban were a 38-year old man, a 40-year old man, and a 44-year old man; all three died at the scene.
All were from Laurel, according to the MHP.
The three men were not wearing seatbelts, and the MHP says that drugs are suspected as a factor in the crash.
The names of the men have not yet been released. We will update you if we get more information.
