Snow Means Overtime - Erin Brush

Ten minutes after checking in on a small car that had slid off the road, Trooper Doherty (continuing the eleventh hour of his shift) applied his ice cleats to his boots to cross the icy road to the same car now struck by a Jeep that had lost control. Despite the flashing lights and cones warning oncoming traffic of the roads, Doherty was no more than through writing the second accident report when he glanced up to see a delivery truck slide into the Jeep. Within a 20 minute period, there was a 3 vehicle pile up on the icy corner with lines of traffic waiting to go through on each side.

Troopers in the Bozeman area work overtime whenever the snow falls. The influx of out-of-state drivers who are inexperienced in winter driving conditions have caused the accident rates in the Bozeman area to skyrocket.

The Gallatin County Troopers struggle to keep up with accidents on icy days, racing down icy roads from accident to accident ensuring the safety of those inside the vehicles. In times of need, Montana Highway Patrol sends troopers from neighboring counties to aid the Gallatin County Troopers due to their staffing shortages