LARAMIE, WY – A heartbreaking accident claimed the lives of three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team, while two others were left injured on Thursday afternoon. The devastating incident occurred when their Toyota RAV4 swerved off-road on the U.S. 287, a site notorious for deadly accidents.
Located approximately 10 miles south of the Wyoming-Colorado border and part-way between Laramie and Fort Collins, Colo., the accident site witnessed the SUV rolling over multiple times. The university released the identities of the deceased athletes as Luke Slabber (21), a junior construction management student; Charlie Clark (19), a sophomore psychology student; and Carson Muir (18), a freshman on the women’s team and an animal and veterinary sciences major.
The two surviving members, who were also injured in the incident, had been discharged from the hospital as of Friday. The probable cause behind the tragedy, according to the Colorado State Patrol, could be the driver’s attempt to avoid a slowing vehicle ahead. However, the investigation is ongoing, and other possibilities, such as impairment, distraction, or speeding, are also under consideration.
University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel expressed his heartbreak over the “terrible tragedy,” grieving for the university, Wyoming, the student-athlete community, and chiefly, the friends and families of the young victims. The students were driving southwards, supposedly for personal reasons rather than on an official journey.
The highway, a bustling, winding route through the picturesque Rocky Mountain foothills, is no stranger to fatal accidents, including one in 2001 that claimed the lives of eight members of the University’s cross-country team. More recently, in 2021, icy road conditions led to a collision that resulted in the death of three University of Wyoming students near Thursday’s accident spot.
The road’s high crash rates have led to increased demands for safety improvements on the Colorado portion of the highway. In the past five years, the 30-mile stretch between Fort Collins and the Wyoming border has recorded 570 accidents, with 15 fatalities.