NEWS

Saco crash victim identified

David Murray
dmurray@greatfallstribune.com

The Montana teenager who died Tuesday morning in a rollover crash has been identified as Riley Baublitz of Malta. Baublitz was 17.

According to a Montana Highway Patrol crash report, Baublitz was the passenger in a Ford Aerostar van driven by 22-year-old Antonio Cuesta Jr., of Walden, New York.

Shortly after midnight on Tuesday morning, Cuesta was driving south on Secondary Road 243, just north of U.S. Highway 2 and about 10 miles west of Saco. The van drifted off the right-hand side of the road, and Cuesta attempted to it return to the pavement, but overcorrected. The van began to rotate clockwise and went off the right side of the roadway, rolling several times before coming to rest on the driver’s side.

Neither Baublitz nor Cuesta were wearing seat belts when the crash occurred.

Baublitz was pronounced dead at the scene because of his injuries. Cuesta also was injured, though the extent of his injuries has not been released.

The crash report states the road was bare and dry at the time of the crash. It is unknown whether drugs, alcohol or speed were factors.

The Montana Highway Patrol is continuing to conduct a crash investigation.