A Montana police officer was killed after he was ran over by his own patrol car while attending to a stranded motorist in an icy storm.
Jake Allmendinger, 31, a deputy at the Gallatin County Sheriff's office and a father-of-three, died on Saturday night after attending the call in the Bridger Mountains on Fairy Lake Road.
He and partner Deputy Ryan Jern responded to the call at roughly 6 p.m., but before arriving, their Chevy Tahoe started to slide backwards on the icy road.
It was then that Allmendinger left the vehicle—presumably in an effort to stop the vehicle, although this was not confirmed—before he was dragged under the chassis of the large 5,000-pound car.
Sheriff Brian Gootkin confirmed Allmendinger's death in a press conference the following day.
"It is with a heavy heart that the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office lets everyone know of the loss of one of our own last night," he said.
"Deputies Jake Allmendinger and Ryan Jern were responding in the same vehicle to a welfare check of a stranded motorist report on Fairy Lake Road in the Bridger mountain range at approximately 6 p.m.
"There was a storm coming through the area which created icy roads. As they were driving up to try and locate the motorist, their patrol vehicle began to slide backwards.
"Sometime during the slide Jake exited the driver's side of the vehicle and became trapped under the Chevy Tahoe. Ryan attempted immediate assistance but was unable to save Jake."
Press conference by Sheriff Brian Gootkin regarding death of Deputy Allmendinger.
Gootkin told the press conference that Jern had attempted to rescue Allmendinger for just short of an hour before calling for help.
Jern reportedly did not see Allmendinger leave the vehicle and Gootkin added that it was futile to speculate on why he did so, stating "The only person who that knows is Jake."
Gootkin said: "I asked that to Ryan last night and I did not see him leave the vehicle. He turned around and when he turned [back] around, Jake was already out of the vehicle.
"They were concerned because the vehicle was going backwards on the icy road—they don't know where they're headed—and Ryan was getting ready for impact and that's when he turned around and saw that Jake was gone."
Allmendinger was pronounced dead after 11 p.m. He is survived by his parents Ron and Michelle Allmendinger, wife Monica, and children Bentley, Lexi and Kai.
Gootkin described Allmendinger—who was a dispatcher with Gallatin County 911 for over seven years and a search and rescue volunteer for eight years before becoming a deputy sheriff in 2017—as one of the nicest people you could have ever wished to meet.
"Everybody that I've talked to so far is like everyone liked Jake. I mean he's one of those guys that's just a good, good guy.
"He'll be missed, but when people's faces light up when they're talking about him—that tells you everything."
Uncommon Knowledge
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