City patrol car totaled

Columbia Falls police chief Dave Perry said one of the department’s new patrol cars was totaled on Jan. 10 about 10:13 p.m.

A southbound vehicle on Meadow Lake Boulevard slid into the U.S. 2 intersection and hit the westbound patrol car. Neither the 19-year-old driver of the private vehicle or the police officer were injured, Perry said.

Totaled was a 2013 Ford Police Interceptor, which is based on a Ford Explorer. Perry said the city had ordered a new SUV to replace a sedan-style patrol car through the normal budgeted rotation program, and it was scheduled to arrive this week.

“Now we’ll need to order another SUV,” he said.

A layer of fresh snow on top of packed snow caused slick road conditions at the time, Perry said. Montana Highway Patrol was investigating the accident.