During the evening of April 4, 1925, Patrol Inspectors Joseph P. Riley and William A. Blundell were patrolling near Eureka, Montana, when the tie rod broke, causing the automobile to leave the roadway. The vehicle continued over a high bank pinning Inspector Riley under the steering wheel. Patrol Inspector Blundell was not seriously injured. Patrol Inspector Riley sustained a spinal cord injury. He was taken to a nearby hospital where the attending physician advised moving the patient to Spokane, Washington. On April 5, Inspector Riley was transported by train to Spokane, Washington, where he was placed in the Sacred Heart Hospital. He succumbed at 6:00 a.m. on April 6, 1925, from respiratory paralysis.