C-Falls man injured in ATV wreck

A Columbia Falls man was severely injured May 29 when the ATV he was driving down Highway 35 rolled near the entrance of the Swan Lake Campground.

Ryan Francis, 38, was heading back to the campground when a small puppy sitting in the basket on the front of the rig was scared by a passing car. The dog jumped and Francis reached out to grab it and overcorrected the ATV, family friend Larry Craft said.

The ATV rolled ejecting Francis and his fiancé Angie Houston, also of Columbia Falls. Houston was banged up but not seriously injured. Francis was airlifted by ALERT to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where he is being treated for severe brain injuries, Craft said.

People who want to send get well cards can send them to KRMC in care of Francis.