Both lanes of Wyoming Highway 22 closed on Teton Pass for about 12 hours Tuesday following a deadly collision involving a dump truck, a motorcycle and multiple cars, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
The truck was hauling asphalt east into Wilson when its brakes appeared to fail.
“This incident is under investigation and any possible citations or charges are pending,” highway patrol said in a statement.
Two people were killed. They were David Page, 57, of Mammoth Lakes, California, along with the dog in his car, and Nicholas Besobrasow, 66, of Tetonia, Idaho.
Page was the director of the Winter Wildlands Alliance based in Boise, Idaho. Besobrasow was the founder of Alupka Asset Management based in Driggs.
Four others were injured, including the 22-year-old driver of the dump truck, whom a witness said emerged with a bloodied head. All were transferred to St. John’s Health.
The truck driver, whose name is being held by Highway Patrol pending investigation, and the motorcyclist, Caleb Batista, 24, have already been discharged from the hospital.
The other two injured, Belinda Gunn and Mike Fischer, both Wilson, Wyoming residents, are in “fair condition,” according to the hospital.
They were both in a Chevy pickup truck that was rear-ended by the dump truck and then crashed head-on into another pickup heading up the pass, according to highway patrol.
Batista told KHOL he was excited to see the expansive Jackson Hole valley as he came over the pass from Idaho. The Texas native had ridden his Triumph bike all over North America from Guatemala to New York.
Caleb Batista, 24, was discharged St. John’s Health after being struck by a dump truck while riding his motorcycle on Teton Pass on Tuesday. “When the EMS got there, they were just stunned that I was alive,” he said. (Courtesy)
Moments later, he was airborne, tumbling as he caught a glimpse of the dump truck sliding behind him. Thanks to a helmet, gloves and riding outfit, Batista emerged largely unscathed. He said he has some survivor’s guilt and isn’t sure if he’ll be able to get back on a motorcycle again.
“Every bone of my foot was crushed,” Batista said, “My shoulder was popped in a weird way. My face hit the asphalt first, so I cut my face open. But other than that, when the EMS got there, they were just stunned that I was alive.”
He is now trying to raise money to cover medical costs and the return trip to Texas.
The crash occurred at milepost seven near the WYDOT sand shed and above Trail Creek Ranch in Wilson. The pass remained closed until the end of Tuesday, forcing commuters to route south through Alpine, where construction added further delays.
