Mont. deputy dies while responding to stranded motorist

Police1 Staff

GALLATIN COUNTY, Mont. — A Gallatin County sheriff’s deputy was killed Saturday after being trapped under his patrol vehicle while conducting a welfare check of a stranded motorist.

According to the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Jake Allmendinger and partner Ryan Jern were responding in the same vehicle to check on a motorist stranded on an icy road in the Bridger mountain range. While they were attempting to find the motorist, the vehicle began to slide backwards. According to GSCO, Allmendinger exited the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle and got trapped underneath it.

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Jern attempted to rescue Allmendinger but was unsuccessful, according to GCSO.

During a press conference livestreamed on Facebook, Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin described Allmendinger as “one of those guys” everyone liked.

“He was a good guy and he will be missed,” he said. “When people’s faces light up when they talk about him and his service, that tells you everything you need to know.”

Allmendinger, 31, was a two-year veteran of the sheriff’s department and previously served as a Gallatin County dispatcher for over seven years.

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