Officials ID child hit, killed by van

A 1-year-old was killed Thursday evening when she was struck by a van on the Big Stone Hutterite Colony, south of Great Falls off Goon Hill Road. The fatal incident occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m.

According to the Montana Highway Patrol, 1½-year-old Evelyn Wurz approached the van as it was moving and was not seen by the vehicle’s driver. The van was being driven by a 39-year-old male from Sand Coulee.

According to a Cascade County Sheriff’s Office news release, deputies and troopers learned that the Evelyn had been struck by a vehicle being driven by an adult family member.

The family had just returned home from shopping in Great Falls and were busy moving groceries into the home when the family member decided to move the family van to a nearby barn.

“The driver did not see the child,” the MHP incident report states. “He was moving the van on the Big Stone Colony. The victim approached the van on the right hand side as it was moving. She was hit by the van with the right rear tire. She was transported to Benefis Health System where she was pronounced deceased a short time later.”