Year's first fatal crash kills two

Crook County’s first fatal road accident of the year took place on July 31 and is still under investigation by Wyoming Highway Patrol. The crash involved two motorcyclists from France and a motorhome whose occupants were from Arizona.

At 12:33 p.m., on U.S. 14 at mile marker 170 near the Madison pump station, a two-vehicle crash took place, says Lieutenant Tim Boumeester.

“The first vehicle was a motor home pulling a passenger car,” he says. “They were traveling eastbound on Highway 14 when the driver pulled off the roadway into the driveway access there at the pump station because they realized they were heading the wrong direction.”

The motorhome driver began to pull back out onto U.S. 14 in an attempt to make a u-turn. At that time, the second vehicle, a motorcycle, was traveling eastbound towards Devils Tower.

“The motorcyclist attempted to avoid the motorhome by steering to the left, however collided with the motorhome’s left front quarter panel,” Boumeester says.

“Upon the collision, both occupants of the motorcycle were separated from the motorcycle. The motorhome came to rest across both lanes of U.S. 14 facing northwest and the motorcycle came to rest on a flat slide partially against [the motorhome] facing northeast.”

Both individuals on the motorcycle were pronounced dead at the scene. Both were wearing helmets at the time of the crash.