(Fremont County, WY) – The reported crash on US 287 / WY 789 that occurred on December 7 resulted in one fatality, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol’s preliminary report posted on December 16.
The deceased has been identified as 34-year-old Wyoming man Paul Switzer.
The report states that Switzer’s truck exited the roadway on the right-hand side, but it “hit the guardrail, and forced the rear end to kick left.”
“The vehicle entered a driver’s side slide across all lanes, then collided with the guardrail on the left side of the highway,” the report continues. “The impact broke the guardrail, causing the vehicle to jump over it, and the rear end continued sliding down the guardrail until it came to a stop. It is unknown what caused the vehicle to burst into flames.”
Road/weather conditions were clear at the time, and no possible contributing factors were listed in the report. It is unknown if a seatbelt was in use.
There have been 104 reported fatalities on Wyoming roads in 2025.