Spokane girl dies in four-wheeler crash

A 16-year-old Spokane girl injured Sunday in a four-wheeler accident in Montana has died. Monique Perea, who was visiting family friends, was driving an ATV in the Schwartz Creek drainage near Clinton, southeast of Missoula, when she lost control, The Missoulian newspaper reported. She and a 15-year-old male passenger flew over an embankment on Moccasin Ridge and plummeted about 20 feet before stopping. Missoula County Sheriff’s Capt. Greg Hintz said Perea suffered major internal injuries in the crash. The boy hiked out after the crash and told adults there had been an accident. The group then returned to the scene, but didn’t call 9-1-1 until after reaching Perea, Hintz said. That call precipitated a difficult search effort that also took significant time. “There’s no cell phone coverage up there, so it was a difficult situation,” Hintz said. Hintz said Perea was conscious and talking when the boy left her, but was in serious trouble when he returned with adults.