LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — Investigators with the Colorado State Patrol on Friday released preliminary details in the deadly crash that killed three University of Wyoming student-athletes.
The crash happened around 2:44 p.m. on Highway 287 near Red Mountain Road in Larimer County, roughly 10 miles south of the Wyoming-Colorado border.
Five students — all members of the university’s swimming and diving team — were in a Toyota RAV4 that was traveling southbound when it drove off the left shoulder and rolled multiple times, killing three out of the five people in the vehicle, according to a spokesperson with the Colorado State Patrol (CSP).
It’s still not clear what exactly happened, but in a news release Friday, the CSP spokesperson said preliminary information on the crash showed that a vehicle in front of the RAV4 slowed, possibly to turn left onto Red Mountain Rd. That’s when the driver of the RAV4 swerved left, driving off the shoulder of the road, causing the vehicle to roll multiple times, according to the CSP spokesperson.
“The cause of this single vehicle crash is unknown at this time,” CSP investigators said Friday, adding that factors such as speed, impairment or other distractions have not been ruled out.
Carson Muir, 18; Charlie Clark, 19; and Luke Slabber, 21, were killed in the crash. The driver of the vehicle, a 21-year-old man, and another occupant, identified as a 20-year-old man, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries but have since been released, CSP investigators said.
"We are heartsick at the news of this terrible tragedy for our university, our state, our student-athlete community and, most importantly, the families and friends of these young people," UW President Ed Seidel said in a statement. "Words are insufficient to express our sadness."
The UW director of athletics, Tom Burman, also released a statement after the crash.
"My thoughts and prayers are with our swimming and diving student-athletes, coaches, families and friends," Burman said in prepared remarks. "It is difficult to lose members of our University of Wyoming family, and we mourn the loss of these student-athletes. We have counseling services available to our student-athletes and coaches in our time of need."
UW students in need of support can contact the University Counseling Center at 307-766-2187. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students can also call an after-hours crisis counselor at 307-766-8989.
