(Fremont County, WY) – A one vehicle crash that occurred on August 2 on US 26 / US 287 left one dead and one injured, according to the preliminary report posted by the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) on August 7.
The deceased has been identified as 44-year-old Wyoming resident Elaine Whittenberger.
The report states the vehicle was eastbound when it drifted onto the eastbound dirt shoulder, at which point the driver overcorrected to the left, which caused the vehicle to rotate counter-clockwise and enter a passenger-side leading slide.
The vehicle then crossed the center line and entered the westbound borrow ditch, when the driver was able to momentarily correct, but the vehicle entered a clockwise yaw (when a vehicle spins around its center of gravity) upon steering to the right on the steep grade.
The vehicle then tripped and vaulted into a tree, where its roof impacted the trunk, and it ultimately dropped to the ground and came to a rest on the roof, the report concludes.
The report did not share if the deceased was the driver or the passenger of the vehicle, but did state that no seat belt was in use, and listed speed and driver inattention as possible contributing factors.
There have been 53 deaths on Wyoming roadways to date in 2024, two of which have been in Fremont County.