Police ID Man 3 Days After He’s Killed by Airborne Elk

By Ivan Pentchoukov
November 1, 2017 Last Updated: November 1, 2017
Trevor Stenlund, who died on Oct. 30, 2017, after an airborne elk that had just been hit by another vehicle, smashed into Stenlund's truck near Potomac, Montana. (Facebook/Trevor Stenlund)

Authorities identified the man from Salmon, Idaho, who was killed by an airborne elk earlier this week.

Trevor Stenlund died Monday, Oct. 30, in Blackfoot Valley, Montana, after a vehicle hit an elk and sent it flying into his truck, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office says, according to KPAX.

The incident happened at approximately 7:15 p.m. A woman driving a Toyota Scion hit an elk on Highway 200 and sent the animal flying, Montana Highway Patrol says.

The elk landed on Stenlund’s Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck, which he was driving. The truck then went off the road and hit several embankments. Stenlund died on the scene.

The woman driving the Scion was taken to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. She was not hurt in the incident.

Police say both drivers wore seatbelts and that no alcohol or drugs are suspected.

According to his Facebook account, Stenlund lived and attended high school in Salmon, Idaho, a small city with a population of 3,112, according to the 2010 Census. The city is about 200 miles south of the site of Stenlund’s death.

Stenlund was an Airman 1st Class at the Malmstrom Air Force Base, KFBB reported. He enlisted in the Air Force on August 25, 2015, and was assigned to the Malmstrom base since March last year.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Trevor’s family and friends as they deal with this loss,” said Colonel Ron Allen, the commander of the 341st missile wing, reported ABC Fox Montana. “This is a difficult time as we mourn the loss of a valued member of our Team Malmstrom family.”

Stenlund’s girlfriend, Baylee Hawkins, posted a message on Facebook in the wake of his death.

“My sweetest angel,” she wrote. “You will forever be my first love and I will always keep you close. Rest easy up there. I love you, baby!”

Hawkins’s post was accompanied by several photos of the couple spending time together.

According to the Missoulian, this is the 163 highway fatality in Montana this year, compared to 166 at the same time last year.

Stenlund was born in Longview, Washington, his Facebook account says.

His mother, Amy Stenlund, posted a photo of herself with Stelund in his Air Force uniform.

From NTD.tv