WYOMING –A farm tractor collided with a passenger vehicle yesterday on Interstate 25 near Wheatland, resulting in the fatality of a passenger.
Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers were dispatched to milepost 69 on Interstate 25 near Wheatland, Wyoming at around 10:21am on January 2.
From what troopers could learn, a 2004 Toyota Corolla was traveling north on Interstate 25 when the driver heard a strange noise coming from the vehicle. The driver pulled to the emergency shoulder to investigate the noise. The front seat passenger, who was the registered owner, exited the vehicle.
While the passenger/owner was standing in front of the Toyota, a farm tractor hauling hay collided with the stopped vehicle in the emergency lane. The farm tractor came to a stop partially blocking the northbound lanes of the interstate. The driver of the farm tractor backed up to clear the interstate and then hit the passenger/owner of the Toyota.
The man struck by the farm tractor has been identified as John Steele, 21, of Lacey, Washington. Steele succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the crash. The driver and other passengers in the Toyota were all restrained and did not sustain any injuries. The driver of the farm tractor is a Wheatland resident and was not injured.
This is the 1st fatality on Wyoming’s highways in 2019 compared to 0 in 2018, 0 in 2017, and 0 in 2016 to date.
Criminal charges are pending the outcome of an investigation.
