Montana Driver Falls Asleep, Crashes Through Guardrail And Lands On Roof

A driver in Montana was cited for careless driving Wednesday after falling asleep, crashing through a guardrail, driving down an embankment, and ending up on someone’s garage. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office received an emergency call about a vehicle that drove off state Highway 84 near Norris Hot Springs. “The driver was traveling west on Highway 84 in their 2016 Honda Pilot,” said Chase Scheuer, spokesman for the Montana Department of Justice. “The driver is believed to have fallen asleep behind the wheel. The vehicle drove off the roadway, crashed through a guardrail, then traveled down an embankment before ending up on the roof of a garage.”

Multiple agencies responded, including the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Harrison Volunteer Fire, Montana Highway Patrol, Madison County Emergency Management, and Madison Valley EMS. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was ticketed for careless driving. Troopers recovered the vehicle on the day of the incident.

A 2016 Honda Pilot has a curb weight of more than 2 tons—between 4,054 and 4,317 pounds. That is a lot of weight for any roof to support. Rock Springs contractor Matt Jackman had some thoughts after reviewing photos. “In the world of video games, where cars jumping off roofs is commonplace, this roof is woefully under-constructed, as you can see by the moderate damage done,” he said. On a serious note, Jackman commended whoever built that garage. The roof was not supporting the full weight of the Honda Pilot, but the amount it was supporting was impressive nonetheless.

“In the real world, we typically construct roofs to handle 24 to 36 inches of wet, heavy snow before roof failure is even considered,” Jackman said. “That’s about 80 pounds per square foot. That car, even with the weight largely distributed to the back wheels, is easily six or seven times that heavy.” He assumed the roof was composed of trusses made of metal or old-growth timber, which would partially explain how it was able to absorb and sustain the force and weight of a runaway car. Regardless, he has never had to work on a roof project where supporting the weight of a 4,000-pound vehicle was considered. “I’ve had cars go through walls before, but the only time I’ve seen a car on a roof involved a crane and a bunch of high school seniors,” he said.

For whoever built that garage in Madison County, Jackman had to give them their due from one contractor to another. “Well done,” he said.