Three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team lost their lives in a devastating highway crash in northern Colorado. The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon on U.S. 287, approximately 10 miles south of the Wyoming-Colorado border between Laramie and Fort Collins.
The crash involved a Toyota RAV4 SUV carrying five individuals, with the vehicle swerving off the road and rolling over multiple times. Tragically, the accident resulted in the deaths of three students: a 19-year-old sophomore psychology major from Las Vegas, a 21-year-old junior studying construction management from Cape Town, South Africa, and an 18-year-old freshman on the women's team majoring in animal and veterinary sciences from Birmingham, Alabama.
Two other team members sustained injuries in the crash but were expected to survive, as confirmed by a University of Wyoming statement. The injured individuals, aged 20 and 21, were promptly transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, the SUV was traveling southbound and was not part of an official team trip at the time of the accident. The authorities are currently conducting an investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the tragic crash.
University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel expressed deep sorrow over the heartbreaking loss, emphasizing the impact of the tragedy on the university, the state, the student-athlete community, and most significantly, the families and friends of the deceased students.
This unfortunate incident brings back memories of a similar tragedy in 2001 when a drunken driver caused a head-on collision on the same highway, claiming the lives of eight members of the University of Wyoming cross-country team. The sole survivor of that crash, also a university student, served a prison sentence for aggravated vehicular homicide.
