Moscow High graduate dies in Montana highway crash

Moscow High School counselors are providing support at the school after a 2017 MHS graduate was killed in a vehicle collision Tuesday in Montana.

Jaylynne Reed, 18, died when her Nissan Sentra collided head-on with a Dodge Ram pickup truck when she attempted to pass a tanker truck on U.S. Highway 212 near Busby, Mont., according to the Montana Highway Patrol. Busby is about 85 miles east of Billings.

The driver of the Ram, a 39-year-old man from Ashland, Mont., and his passenger, a 46-year-old man from Laurel, Mont., were not injured. Reed was the lone occupant of her vehicle.

Principal Erik Perryman said Reed was a beloved member of the class that graduated Friday.

"She overcame some obstacles in her life, graduated and was headed to Ivy Tech Northeast in Fort Wayne, Ind., with the eventual goal of being a veterinarian," Perryman said.

He described Reed as a student with a large circle of friends, "big hearted" but also "not shy about sharing her opinions."

"We were enormously proud of Jaylynne," Perryman said. "She wanted to make something of herself, and I admired that greatly."

Several students stopped by the school to talk to counselors Wednesday, Perryman said. He and the counselors will be available at the school again from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.

"They have some training in grief counseling and also are exceptionally knowledgeable about other local resources if necessary," he said.

Perryman was waiting on word of a memorial service Wednesday and will email MHS parents with that information when it becomes available.

"It's just one of the saddest things we've had around here in a long time," he said.

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Stone may be contacted at mstone@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2244. Follow her on Twitter @MarysSchoolNews.