JACKSON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) is investigating the head-on collision that closed part of Teton Park Road in Grand Teton National Park on Thursday evening, Aug. 14.
WHP was called to the scene, approximately two miles north of Jenny Lake Junction, at 5:22 p.m. to address two vehicles that had collided. A BMW SUV with five occupants was traveling northbound on the road and is believed to have crossed the centerline, striking a southbound Nissan Rogue SUV with three occupants. WHP noted that multiple people were injured in the collision: two people were transported to a medical center in Idaho via helicopter and a third person was later flown from Jackson to a “nearby medical center.”
The park road was closed for about two hours in the aftermath of the collision. WHP is investigating “driver inattention” as the “primary factor” in the crash, adding via press release that the BMW’s driver was cited for failure to maintain lane of travel.
“The Wyoming Highway Patrol once again reminds everyone to wear your seatbelt,” WHP’s release states. “Initial findings indicate that of the eight people involved in this collision, only two were wearing their seatbelts. Troopers investigating the crash believe injuries would likely have been far less serious if everyone had been wearing their seatbelts.”
The incident remains under investigation.
