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Park Co. deputy in stable condition after head-on crash that killed MT man

Posted at 9:05 PM, Apr 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-08 23:05:29-04

LIVINGSTON – One person was killed and a sheriff’s deputy was hospitalized after a head-on collision late Friday night south of Livingston, according to the Park County Sheriff’s Office.

In a press release, Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler said just before midnight Friday a passenger car traveling south on Highway 89 collided head-on with a deputy driving a Park County Sheriff’s vehicle.

According to Bichler, the driver of the passenger car — 53-year-old Shawn Schmitz of Columbus — was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputy Brian Elliott-Pearson was flown by air ambulance to Billings for treatment. An update on the Park County Sheriff’s Facebook page said Elliot-Pearson is in stable condition after two successful surgeries.

The Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, Bichler said, and initial evidence indicates that the passenger car left its lane of travel and collided with the deputy in his lane.

It has not yet been determined what caused the vehicle driven by Schmitz to veer into Deputy Elliot-Pearson’s lane.