(Article updated 3:34 p.m. MT)
BOZEMAN — A young woman died and three other teenagers were injured in a vehicle crash in Bozeman early Sunday morning, Sept. 15, 2024.
The Montana Highway Patrol's fatality crash report says a 17-year-old male was driving a Volkswagen Beetle at a high rate of speed eastbound on Kelly Canyon Road around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday; two 18-year-old female passengers and one 18-year-old male were also in the vehicle.
According to the report, the driver failed to maintain control while negotiating a slight lefthand curve near the intersection with Fort Ellis Road. The Beetle reportedly went off the road to the right and collided with a guardrail. It continued over a creek and up an embankment, coming to rest on its passenger side.
In an update on Monday, Gallatin County Sheriff/Coroner Dan Springer said 18-year-old Madison Montgomery-Lukenbill of Belgrade was pronounced dead at the scene due to blunt force injuries.
According to Springer, the other three occupants of the vehicle were taken to Bozeman Deaconess Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. According to the report, the driver and Montgomery-Lukenbill were wearing seat belts; the other two passengers were unrestrained.
The report says alcohol and speed are suspected as factors in the crash.
A Belgrade High School public information officer told MTN News on Monday that Montgomery-Lukenbill graduated from Belgrade High last spring and had many friends at the school. Additional counselor support is being brought in to help students at this time.
Sheriff Springer extended his office's deepest condolences to the family and friends of Madison Montgomery-Lukenbill.
No further details were released, and there is no official word on the current condition of the three who were injured.
We will update you if we get more information.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that all four occupants were taken to the hospital and that all four were Bozeman residents, based on information in the MHP crash report. The article has been updated with new information from Gallatin County Sheriff/Coroner Dan Springer.
