HARLEM, Mont. — A recent Harlem High School graduate was killed Wednesday afternoon after the pickup truck she was driving was struck by a passenger train west of Harlem.
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 18-year-old Emma Klingaman.
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According to the Montana Highway Patrol, troopers were called to the crash just after 2 p.m. Sept. 9. Klingaman was driving a Chevrolet Silverado north on Thirty Mile Road when she attempted to cross railroad tracks at a crossing west of Harlem.
An eastbound passenger train then collided with the pickup. Klingaman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office said the crossing where the crash occurred is unregulated, meaning there are no signals or gates controlling traffic at the crossing.
The crash remains under investigation. Montana Highway Patrol has not released additional information about what may have led to the collision.
As investigators work to determine what happened, those who knew Klingaman are remembering her for the impact she made in her short life.
Harlem Public Schools described Klingaman as an exceptional young woman who was deeply respected by her peers and teachers. In a statement to the school community, the district said she was polite, kind, dedicated and warm, and someone younger students naturally looked up to.
For her wrestling coach, John Baker, Klingaman’s loss is the loss of someone he describes as one of the best.
“We do know that we lost a very special person,” Baker said. “It seems like we lost some of the best of us with her, and it’s been tough.”
Klingaman was a standout wrestler at Harlem High School. Baker said she went undefeated during her junior season before finishing second at the state wrestling tournament her senior year.
She also served as team captain.
Baker said Klingaman’s leadership was evident every day in the wrestling room. Rather than needing to tell her teammates what to do, he said she led by example and pushed everyone around her to improve.
“Emma had a way of leading by example,” Baker said. “Everybody wanted to keep up with her in practice.”
Baker said Klingaman would set the pace during training, and her teammates would push themselves to match her effort.
Her leadership and determination ultimately led Baker to name her a team captain during her senior season.
“Last year I made her a captain, and best choice I ever made," he said.
Away from the wrestling mat, Baker said Klingaman loved spending time with her family and working with horses. She was also interested in attending college and continuing to build a future beyond high school.
For those who knew her, however, it was her personality that may be the hardest thing to replace.
“Emma’s smile and her heart and her passion is probably what we’re going to miss the most,” Baker said, adding that her death has left a hole in the Harlem wrestling program and the broader community.
Harlem Public Schools said counselors and support staff will be available at Harlem High School for students, staff and community members who need a safe place to talk, grieve or seek support following Klingaman’s death.
Baker and the Harlem athletics department also plan to establish a wrestling award in Klingaman’s honor.
The school district is asking the community to keep Klingaman’s family and friends in their thoughts and to support one another as they mourn her loss.
