Crash kills stop sign runner north of Republic

On Aug. 19, Thomas R. McPhetridge, 59, of Billings was driving his 1986 Ford Ranger eastbound on Route N, just north of Republic, when he failed to stop for a posted stop sign and struck the driver’s side of a 2012 Hyundai Veloster driven by Kasey S. Belasco, 42, of Springfield, driving northbound.
McPhetridge’s vehicle then overturned and went off the road. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from his vehicle. He was pronounced dead on scene at 2:01 p.m. and next of kin was notified.
Belasco’s vehicle traveled off the road and came to a rest. She was wearing her seatbelt, had moderate injuries and was transported to the nearest hospital by EMS. Both vehicles were totaled and, as required by law, the surviving driver was tested for alcohol. This is troop D’s 78th fatality for 2022.