4-Vehicle Crash Kills 1, Injures 9 Near Laramie
A Colorado resident is dead and nine others, including five children, were injured in a four-vehicle crash south of Laramie on Monday.
David W. Hanlon, 50, of Fort Collins, died at the scene despite wearing his seat belt, according to a crash report from the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. Monday on US 287 near milepost 403, south of Laramie.
The Patrol says a 2002 Ford Explorer was stopped in the southbound lane of the highway, waiting to make a left turn onto Calvary Ranch Road. A southbound 2010 Chevrolet Colorado started to slow down as it approached the stopped Ford Explorer.
The driver of the Chevrolet noticed a southbound 2018 Honda Pilot approaching from behind, evidently not slowing down. The driver of the Honda, 50-year-old Martha Doyle, of Laramie, didn't notice the stopped vehicle until it was too late. Authorities believe she may have been using her cell phone or otherwise distracted at the time.
Doyle drove into the northbound lane of the highway, colliding head-on with a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Jeep was driven by Hanlon.
Also inside the Jeep was 46-year-old Fiona K. Hollinshead and three juvenile passengers. The children were taken to Laramie for medical treatment, while Hollinshead -- who was wearing her seat belt -- was taken by helicopter to Loveland, Colorado.
Doyle was wearing her seat belt and was also taken to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie to be treated for her injuries. Two juvenile passengers in the back seat of the Honda were also taken to Laramie.
The driver fo the Ford, 33-year-old Laramie resident Phillip J. Black, was wearing his seat belt and taken to Laramie for medical treatment along with his passenger, 67-year-old Susan Black, who was also wearing her seat belt.
The driver of the Chevrolet, 25-year-old Kyler Yerkovich of Rock Springs, was wearing his seat belt and was not injured.
Speed, cell phone use and driver inattention on the part of Doyle are being investigated as possible contributing factors.
Hanlon is the third person to die on Wyoming highways in 2020.