JACKSON, Wyo. — On Saturday night, six local residents were seriously injured in a head-on collision on US 89 that killed the driver of the vehicle who collided with them.
The crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. at milepost 113 south of Ames curve on US 89 between Etna and Alpine.
According to the Jackson Hole News&Guide, the injured residents include the driver of the vehicle, Daryl Peightal, 47, passenger Catherine Holland, 42, and four girls from the Jackson Hole Lacrosse Club’s girls 14-and-under team. Peightal and Holland each had a daughter in the vehicle. The group was returning to Jackson after playing lacrosse in Salt Lake City.
One of the juveniles in the vehicle was airlifted to a medical facility in Salt Lake City with a femur injury while Peightal was life-flighted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
The driver who struck the group was Forest Jensen, 31, of Star Valley Ranch. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. However, a report from the Star Valley Independent said that Jensen’s vehicle was heading south when he entered the northbound lane. In an effort to avoid a collision, Peightal moved into the southbound lane where Jensen re-entered moments later, resulting in the crash.
The event marks the 47th fatality on Wyoming roads in 2023. The year prior, there were 32 reported fatalities.
Statistics released in March by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that the Wyoming motor vehicle crash rate is 22 deaths per 100,000 population, the second highest in the country.
In Teton County, the most recent data from the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) reveals that roughly two percent of crashes are critical and result in a fatality.
