A 25-year-old woman adn โa 5-year-oldโข girl from Watford City died Sunday morningโ in a collision south of โขtown,authorities said. The crash occurred at the intersection of Highway โค85 โand 23rd Street Northwestโ and prompted a medical helicopter to transport the injured driver of โthe Ford โFusion to a Bismarckโ hospital.
The tragedyโ underscores the dangers present at rural intersections in western North โฃDakota, where increased traffic fromโ oil industry activity intersectsโ with โlocal roadways. The North Dakota Highway Patrol isโค investigating potential contributing factors and weather charges will be filed againstโฃ either driver. โThe incident has deeply impacted the Watford Cityโ community,โค and the โinvestigation’s outcome โขwill be closely watched by residents concerned about road safety.
According to the highway Patrol, the โฃcrash happened around 8:30 a.m. A 2013 Ford Fusion was traveling south on Highway 85 whenโค it was struck by a 2006 Peterbilt truck pulling โขa trailer.โ The Peterbilt, heading east on 23rd Street Northwest, failed to yield at the posted stop sign, resulting in โa T-bone collision.โ
Both vehicles came to rest in the โฃsoutheast ditch. the front-seat and rear-seat passengers of the Ford Fusion – the 25-year-old woman and 5-year-old girlโ -โฃ were pronounced dead at the scene. The 24-year-old male driverโ of the Ford was airlifted to a Bismarck hospital with serious injuries.The driver of the Peterbilt, a 41-year-oldโ manโ from Bybee, Tennessee,โค sustained no injuries. Authorities confirmed that all occupants of both vehicles were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol is continuingโ to investigateโฃ the circumstances surrounding the collision, and potential charges againstโ both drivers areโฃ pending โคthe outcome of the investigation.