11 die in weekend vehicle crashes in western Montana

It was a tragic weekend across western Montana, with 11 people killed in four different vehicle accidents.On Sunday, the bodies of a Sanders County grandmother, her grandson and her great-granddaughter were retrieved from the Clark Fork River after the vehicle they were riding in crashed into the water near Plains on Friday.Because the river was so murky and fast-moving, rescue teams could not locate the family sedan for almost two days, and only then with the help of multiple search and rescue teams, including divers and a helicopter from Flathead County.Finally, the car and the woman and children were found on Sunday, said Tom Rummel, Sanders County sheriff.Divers retrieved the bodies of 63-year-old Kathy Legard, 13-year-old Jake Legard and 4-year-old Payten Yoder late Sunday morning, all of whom were in the car, which was found about 250 yards downriver from the point of entry, Rummel said.Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Shawn Smalley said search and rescue teams worked steadily to reach the submerged vehicle since Friday night, when a 9-1-1 caller saw the car sink into the river about 13 miles west of Plains, off River Road.Smalley said the car apparently went out of the family’s driveway, across River Road and down a 15-foot embankment into the river. The river is very wide and murky in that area, he said, which made it extremely difficult for search and rescue crews to reach the car and the bodies.Kathy Legard was a lifelong resident of Sanders County, and was active in 4-H and helped with afterschool programs.