Casper Woman Dies in Friday Car Crash

A single vehicle crash last Friday resulted in the death of 27 year old Casper, Wyoming resident Katie M. Graveman. The crash is believed to have happened around 8:30 p.m. on Wyoming State Highway 134 about 18 miles northwest of Riverton, Wyoming.

Graveman was driving her sedan westbound on WY 134 too fast and failed to make a right hand corner in the highway. The car left the road, crashed through the right-of-way fence and entered a slide. As the vehicle slid, it tripped and rolled.

Graveman was not using her seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her six and a half month old daughter, Journie Stone, was properly belted in a child restraint in the back seat. The baby was taken to Riverton Memorial Hospital and has been treated and released.

Alcohol use, drug use and excessive speed are all being investigated as contributing factors in this crash. Katie Graveman marked the 122nd highway fatality in Wyoming for 2015. There were 129 fatalities in this same time period in 2014.

Since the wreck was not discovered until 7:30 a.m. the next morning, the child was not found for almost 11 hours after surviving a violent crash and cold nighttime temperatures. As a testament to the importance of a properly used seat belts, it was reported that "the child in a car seat is smiling back at those on scene" once first responders arrived at the crash. Seat belts save lives.