(Big Horn County, WY) – On August 13, 2022, around 7:05 PM, Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) troopers were notified of a one vehicle crash that occurred at milepost 119.7 on WY-30, which resulted in one fatality, according to a preliminary report posted by the WHP on August 15.
The deceased has been identified as 81-year-old Wyoming resident Frank Willis.
According to the report, Willis was westbound on WY-30 in a pickup and failed to negotiate the gradual right-hand curve in the roadway.
As the roadway curved, he crossed over the centerline and exited the roadway to the left.
Willis overcorrected his steering to the right causing the pickup to start rotating in a clockwise rotation.
The pickup crossed back over the roadway, continuing the clockwise rotation, went off the right side of the roadway in a driver-side leading skid, then it tripped in the soft dirt and rolled 1 1/4 times, coming to rest on the driver’s side.
Willis was partially ejected and was removed from the pickup by responding emergency personnel.
A witness reported that the pickup was oncoming and drifted into their lane. The pickup drifted back into its lane before passing their vehicle.
The witness estimated that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, which was listed as a possible contributing factor in the report.
There have been 70 fatalities on Wyoming’s roadways in 2022 compared to 71 in 2021, 75 in 2020, and 104 in 2019 to date.