(Lincoln County, WY) – On December 20th, 6:30 AM, a crash was reported on US-89 that resulted in one fatality and one injury, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) preliminary report released on Thursday, December 23rd.
The deceased has been identified as 58-year-old Wyoming resident David Reel.
The report states Reel was headed southbound on US-89 near milepost 105.4, and another vehicle was northbound at the same location.
Reel’s vehicle crossed into the northbound lane, where the driver of the other vehicle activated the brakes, but was unable to avoid a collision.
The vehicles struck each other head-on, both coming to rest in the northbound lane.
The report states no seatbelt was in use, and that road conditions were snowy, with sand on the icy road.
Driver inattention, driver fatigue/asleep, and a possible medical condition were also listed in the report as possible contributing factors.
To date, there have been 112 fatalities on Wyoming’s roadways in 2021, compared to 127 in 2020, 144 in 2019, and 110 in 2018.