On September 22, 2019, a fatal crash occurred around milepost 40 on US 85 north of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Around 4:30 a.m., Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers were dispatched to the area for a one-vehicle rollover.
A 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe was traveling northbound on US 85 around milepost 40 when the vehicle exited the left side of the roadway before the driver steered back to the right and overturned.
The driver of the Hyundai has been identified as 31-year-old Minot, North Dakota resident Christopher J. Chargois. Chargois was not wearing his seatbelt and succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the crash. The passenger in the Hyundai has been identified as 22-year-old Minot, North Dakota resident Brian A. Poitra. Poitra was not wearing his seatbelt and was transported to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for injuries sustained in the crash.
Driver fatigue is being investigated as a possible contributing factor.
This is the 120th fatality on Wyoming’s roadways in 2019 compared to 82 in 2018, 109 in 2017, and 89 in 2016 to date.