Woman injured in fiery wreck on Glacier National Park's Going-to-the Sun Road

A car went off the Going-to-the-Sun Road Wednesday night about 5:40 p.m., struck a tree and caught on fire, Glacier National Park officials said.

A 70-year-old male from Texas fell asleep and drove off the road on the Lake McDonald side while driving west. The car hit a tree and then started on fire. The driver and a 65-year-old female passenger were able to get out of the car on their own. Other motorists stopped to assist. The female passenger was sent by ambulance to Logan Health in Whitefish to determine extent of injuries. 

Their names were not released. 

The ALERT helicopter was called in but did not transport. 

The accident happened about two miles up the road from the Apgar turn-off. 

The fire left approximately a 20-by-20-yard burn scar on the lake side of the road, with flames at one point reaching from the base of trees to the crown. Martin City and Hungry Horse Fire Departments put out the fire. The car was destroyed. 

That section of road was closed for about three hours while the accident was cleaned up. It reopened later that evening. 

There were other accidents on the Sun Road Wednesday as well, though no one was injured. 

Two separate accidents sometime after 3 p.m. slowed traffic at the park entrance and at "the loop." An accident halfway between “the loop” and the west tunnel occurred when a vehicle swerved to miss another vehicle that crossed over the yellow line, causing the first vehicle to hit a rock out cropping and disabling the vehicle. Around the same time, two vehicles collided while merging from two lanes at the park entrance. 

Glacier National Park would like to thank the Martin City, Hungry Horse and Coram Fire Departments, ALERT helicopter, Three Rivers Ambulance along with other visitors who stopped to assist until rangers and ambulance crews arrived on the scene. 

The scene of the accident on June 27.