Josh Barta
jbarta@uwyo.edu
A Wyoming man passed away Sunday after colliding head-on with a semi west of Laramie on Highway 230 around 3:00 p.m.
The victim was found dead at the scene. Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Mike Simmons said the victim burned to death.
“Both the semi truck and the Nissan Frontier erupted into flames,” Simmons said. “The semi truck was hauling a tank full of crude oil, luckily that did not rupture.”
The driver of the semi was uninjured in the wreck.
The accident occurred before the Highway 230 was hit by snow. Simmons said he does not believe the weather played a role in the crash.
“The roads were dry and the wind was blowing about five miles per hour,” he said. “We do not believe the accident occurred because of the weather.”
Officers were unable to identify the body being all of the victim’s belongings incinerated in the fire. Officers suspect the victim was a student at UW.
The Albany County Coroner will be getting in contact with a forensic dentist in hopes of identifying the victim through dental records and comparing them with missing persons reported in the past few days.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol will update their website with the identity of the victim once tests are complete.
