The Ravalli County Public Defenders Office suffered a huge blow when three of its attorneys were injured in a car accident Friday.
Attorneys Stephanie DeBoer, Reed Mandelko and Nicholas Miller suffered serious injuries in a Friday morning collision. They had been carpooling on U.S. Highway 93 on their way to work when the accident happened north of Lolo.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, it appeared a woman driving a pickup truck lost control on the slick road and then slid across U.S. Highway 93 into the southbound lane. The truck spun sideways, causing DeBoer's Grand Am sedan to T-bone the truck.
The impact completely crumpled the hood of DeBoer's car, and the truck ended up rolling off the highway on its side. All involved were hospitalized.
Dave Stenerson, interim Chief Public Defender for Montana, released the names Wednesday.
DeBoer, who was driving the Grand Am, ended up with a badly fractured ankle. She has been released with an external stabilizer on her ankle but will need to return for further surgery.
Mandelko, a tall man, was riding in the passenger seat and suffered fractures in his back and pelvis. He has also been released but must use a walker or crutches.
Miller was in the backseat but suffered most from the collision. He was wearing a seatbelt but arrived at the hospital with internal injuries, where he remains.
Ron Piper, managing attorney for the Ravalli County Public Defenders Office, said losing half his staff in one day is difficult, but it won't stop cases from moving forward. Any attorney can cover procedural hearings, such as omnibus or initial hearings, and Piper said he has received many offers of assistance from public defenders in other counties and from private attorneys. Piper himself stood in for all the cases heard in court Wednesday.
The only difficulty may arise for those cases that go to trial when a defendant needs to have his assigned attorney present.
"The trials may have to be continued, but I don't know, at this point, if any in the near future are affected," Piper said. "Both the judges and the county attorney's office have been understanding at the need to continue cases."
Piper had no estimate of when the three would return but his concern went beyond who would cover the workload.
"They just need to stay home and get well," Piper said.
Reach reporter Laura Lundquist at 363-3300 or laura.lundquist@ravallirepublic.com.
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