By Ryan Lewallen, County 17
A pair of Montana residents traveling to South Dakota were rescued Tuesday afternoon west of Gillette, where they had been stranded for days following a car crash, Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny said Wednesday.
The Montana residents, a 24-year-old male from Charlo and his 26-year-old female passenger from Moiese, were reported to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office by a 48-year-old male working on an oil location who spotted them near Fortification Road.
The pair had been walking on foot for two days and were lost, according to Matheny.
They were not injured but had been unable to contact emergency services following the crash due to spotty cell service, common in the area around Fortification and Echeta roads, Matheny said.
Deputies found their vehicle, a 1996 Ford Taurus, wrecked and inoperable on a two track, Matheny said, adding that specific details on the vehicle condition or what caused the crash were not available as of Feb. 3.
The vehicle did have to be towed from the area and the deputy remained with the two individuals until the tow truck got there, Matheny said.
What the pair were doing so far from an established roadway was also unknown at the time of the report, though Matheny noted the area is rugged and people unfamiliar with it can easily get turned around.
