Montana authorities and the Billings Gazette have announced a 28-year-old Riverton man has died after crashing his SUV into an irrigation ditch near Billings, Montana Thursday.
The man’s identity was not released by authorities at this time.
Montana transportation crews and emergency responders were paged to the crash at 10:41 p.m. Thursday night. The incident took place north of Billings near Bitterroot Drive and Dover Road.
The Billings Gazette reports that the man was driving northbound when he drove through a T-intersection before striking an embankment, launching his SUV into the air, and crashing on the opposite side of the ditch before then being submerged in the water.
Crews worked to remove the vehicle for roughly 2 and a half hours.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the man was not wearing a seat belt. Alcohol, drugs, and speed are all being investigated as contributing factors.