UINTA COUNTY, Wyo. — Two Missouri men died trapped in their rig’s sleeper berth after a Jan. 22 crash along Interstate 80 in rural Wyoming.
According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP), the men, identified as Keith Koehler II, 39, who was the driver, and Tyler Judd, 40, who was a passenger, were buried under around 2 feet of snow when rescuers arrived several hours later.
Both Koehler and Judd were pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash occurred at around 2:15 a.m. after their Volvo tractor-trailer drifted off the road and into a median, WHP officials said.
Koehler, attempting to regain control of the rig, steered back toward the driving lanes but overturned and wound up in a ditch near an interchange.
The force of the crash caused the truck’s windshield to dislodge, and the truck’s cab filled with snow as it slid down the embankment, according to the WHP. The snow became a solid block of ice overnight, trapping the two men inside the cab, which was lying on the driver’s side.
Workers with the Wyoming Department of Transportation finally discovered the wrecked rig several hours after the crash.
The WSP said that driver fatigue likely contributed to the accident.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
family member here. these men were from St Peter Illinois, not Missouri.
Sorry for your loss. Why did it take so long for Highway patrol to get there? This is unacceptable.
Tom Collins have you ever been in Wyoming there are very few towns anywhere along any stretch of highway out there . And when it’s winter in Wyoming there aren’t a lot of extra people traveling at 2:15am specially cops . If they slid down a hill nobody would be able to see it until daylight anyways. I’ve trucked across Wyoming many many years and in Wyoming the most experienced drivers can still have a wreck there . So don’t blame State Troopers for not getting there sooner.
I remember those freezing cold Winters. So sad they lost there lives this way. My condolences to the family. There is not much on that long stretch in Wyoming supper dangerous and a bit scary drove that route 3yrs pulling doubles