Fatal Crash East of Evanston, Wyoming
On January 22, 2023, a fatal crash occurred at milepost 33 on Interstate 80, east of Evanston, Wyoming, according to a release. At 5:39 a.m., Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers were notified of a rollover crash.
A 2007 Volvo Conventional commercial truck was headed east on Interstate 80 when the vehicle drifted off the left side of the road. The driver overcorrected the Volvo to the right and re-entered the roadway. The Volvo overturned, exited the road, and traveled down an embankment. As the vehicle continued down the embankment, the cab of the Volvo began to pack with snow trapping the driver and passenger in the cab. Due to the depth of the embankment and the darkness, the vehicle was not immediately located.
The driver of the Volvo has been identified as a 39-year-old Saint Peter, Missouri resident Keith R. Koehler II. Koehler II was wearing a seatbelt and succumbed to his injuries at the crash scene. The passenger was identified as Tyler U. Judd, a 40-year-old resident of Farina, Missouri. Judd was not wearing a seatbelt and succumbed to his injuries at the crash scene.
Driver inattention or fatigue is being investigated as a possible contributing factor.
This is the 6th and 7th fatalities on Wyoming’s roadways in 2023 compared to 1 in 2022, 8 in 2021, and 3 in 2020.