1 Killed, 2 Injured in Wrong-Way, Head-On Crash West of Laramie

One person was killed and two others injured early Monday morning in a wrong-way, head-on crash in Albany County, the Wyoming Highway Patrol says.

The crash happened around 1:12 a.m. near milepost 286 on Interstate 80, about 24 miles west of Laramie.

Wyoming Highway Patrol

According to a fatality crash summary, 24-year-old Colorado resident Jerson Cerna Sanchez was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes at a high rate of speed when he collided head-on with an oncoming semi.

Sanchez was not wearing a seat belt and died from his injuries.

The truck driver and a passenger were also reportedly injured in the crash, but the summary did not say to what extent.

The summary also did not specify what factors possibly contributed to the crash.

This is the 71st fatality on Wyoming's highways in 2023 compared to 60 in 2022, 55 in 2021, 60 in 2020, and 93 in 2019 to date, and the 19th fatality on I-80 so far this year.

What States Do Truckers Say Have the Worst Drivers?

2022's Deadliest Wyoming County by Traffic Deaths

While car crashes can occur anywhere, some roads in Wyoming are more dangerous than others.

According to Wyoming Highway Patrol data, there were 117 fatal crashes in the Cowboy State in 2022 resulting in 133 deaths.

Of those fatal crashes, the majority (13.68%) occurred in Laramie County -- two in January, one in February, one in March, two in April, one in June, two in July, three in August, two in September, one in November, and one in December.

Sweetwater County saw the second most fatal crashes last year, 12, while Fremont and Lincoln counties each saw 10.

Albany and Park counties each recorded eight, and Campbell, Converse, and Natrona counties each tallied seven.

The deadliest 2022 crash in Laramie County took place on June 17 when two semis collided on Interstate 80 east of Cheyenne and immediately became engulfed in flames killing both drivers and a passenger.

Laramie County also saw two fatal crashes involving motorcyclists, two fatal crashes involving juveniles, and a fatal crash involving a pedestrian last year.

Below is the Wyoming Highway Patrol narrative of every fatal crash that occurred in Laramie County in 2022.

Source: 1 Killed, 2 Injured in Wrong-Way, Head-On Crash West of Laramie