Montana man dies in collision near Ritzville

RITZVILLE — Equipment failure reportedly led to the death of a Montana man on Interstate 90 near Ritzville early Saturday morning.

About 12:15 a.m. Michael Potter, 57, of Libby, Mont., was driving a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado west on I-90, about five miles east of Ritzville, when his right rear tire failed. The truck reportedly left the road, went into the median and came to a rest blocking both of the westbound I-90 lanes, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Potter died at the scene of the collision. His family was notified of his death by police officials in Montana. The patrol reports the cause of the collision was equipment failure on the Silverado. Both of the westbound I-90 lanes were closed for 5.5 hours Saturday morning as officials investigated the collision.

— Staff report