Cause of fatal accident in Loring still to be determined

On Thursday, August 8, 2019, at approximately 3:48 p.m., the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office dispatch received a report of a tractor-trailer roll-over on US Highway 191 North approximately 1-mile South of Loring, Mont.

The caller stated their husband was trying to help the driver out of the vehicle as it was on fire. Deputies and the Loring Fire Department were dispatched to the location. When the Deputy arrived on scene, the vehicle was fully engulfed in fire. As the fire was getting under control, the Deputy approached the vehicle and noted that the driver was unable to exit the vehicle and had perished.

It was later determined that the identity of the driver was 37-year old Justin Lucas of Loring. Lucas’ body was removed and sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for an autopsy. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Montana Highway Patrol.