2 Montana Residents Killed in Car Accident Near Rawlins
According to a report by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, on April 17 at 6:20 a.m., a traffic accident lead to the death of two Montana residents, Shatone and Jerisiah Hayes, who were 30 and 4-years-old respectively, near Rawlins.
A Lexus was heading eastbound on Interstate 80 when at approximately milepost 215.55, the driver wasn't able to negotiate a right-hand curve in the roadway.
According to Highway Patrol, the Lexus struck a guardrail that was laying on the ground from a previous crash.
It is unclear exactly what crash they are referring to or how long the guardrail had been lying on the ground.
The Lexus drove over the guardrail, entered the median, and vaulted off a concrete barrier next to an overpass.
The vehicle cleared both lanes, struck the concrete wing wall, flipped over, then slid underneath the bridge of the westbound lanes of travel.
No seatbelt or car seat was in use at the time of the crash, with speed being listed as a possible contributing factor.
In 2022 there have been 23 fatalities to date, 14 of which were without seatbelts, compared to 26 fatalities at the same time in 2021, 20 in 2020, 41 in 2019, and 22 in 2018.