(Statewide) – On January 18, 2023, a fatal crash occurred at milepost 29.5 on Highway 26, west of Fort Laramie, according to a release issued by the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP).
The deceased has been identified as 84-year-old Fort Laramie resident Maurice E. Jepson
At 8:46 AM, WHP troopers were notified of a UTV rollover on the adjacent Service Road.
Jepson was reportedly driving the UTV westbound on a snow-covered Service Road that ran parallel to the railroad tracks, while assisting in the movement of cattle in the area.
Jepson failed to notice a mound of gravel on the roadway, and the UTV collided with the gravel and overturned.
The report states that Jepson was not wearing a seatbelt and succumbed to his injuries at the crash scene, with driver inattention being investigated as a possible contributing factor.
The other fatal crashes occurred on 1/11 and 1/17.
The 1/11 crash took place in Natrona County on US 20 BUS / US 26 BUS / US 87 BUS, and resulted in the death of 73-year-old Arizona man James Wahl.
The report states Wahl was westbound in a passenger vehicle, where it traversed ice on the roadway, lost control, crossed the centerline and went into the eastbound travel lanes.
The vehicle then collided with an eastbound tanker semi.
Driver inattention is being investigated as a possible contributing factor, and the report indicates Wahl’s seatbelt was in use
The 11/17 crash took place on US 85/US 18 (ML45), and resulted the death of 71-year-old Colorado man Vladimir Perlin, as well as four other injuries.
The report states Perlin was westbound on US 18 in a passenger vehicle, when he stopped at the stop sign at the intersection of US 18 and US 85.
As he began to turn left, Perlin failed to yield to another vehicle northbound on US 85, which struck his vehicle on the driver’s side.
Driver inattention is being investigated as a possible contributing factor, and the report indicates Perlin’s seatbelt was in use.
There have been 5 fatalities on Wyoming’s roadways in 2023 compared to 1 in 2022, 8 in 2021, and 2 in 2020, to date.