Both lanes of Wyoming Highway 22 closed on Teton Pass around noon on Tuesday following a deadly collision that appeared to involve a truck and a motorcycle, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation webcam.
There were two fatalities, according to Teton County Coroner Brent Blue. They were still being recovered from the scene as of Tuesday afternoon. He did not immediately have more information.
The crash involved four vehicles and four people were transferred via multiple ambulances to St. John’s Health, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Chief Mike Moyer said. Their condition was not immediately available.
State authorities are investigating the deaths, WYDOT spokeswoman Stephanie Harsha said. The crash occurred at milepost seven near the WYDOT sand shed and above Trail Creek Ranch in Wilson. The pass will remain closed until the investigation is complete, expected between 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 7.
Cars back up on the Idaho side of Teton Pass following a multi-vehicle, multi-fatality crash. (Wyoming Department of Transportation / Screenshot)
Rachel Bentley rents a home near the collision site. She was close enough to hear either the squeal of tires or the shrieking of failing breaks and looked up to see a dump truck flip on its side. The truck crashed just past WYDOT’s runaway truck arrestor ramp heading east, down the pass into Wilson.
“I don’t think I’ll forget that sound anytime soon,” Bentley said.
The driver, who appeared to be in his 30s, emerged with blood on his face, she said. He told other bystanders his breaks had failed, she said.
She saw a car across the street flipped upside down. The coroner made a quick visit to that vehicle and white sheets were later placed over the windows, Bentley said.
“It’s very unpredictable and it can be scary, especially at night,” she said of Teton Pass, recalling her own collision with an elk there last year.
Bentley said she spoke with another woman who was driving as the truck barrelled toward her. The woman was alerted to the impending danger by her German Shepherd which started barking from the passenger seat.
She managed to accelerate and get out of the way but was “pretty shaken up,” when Bentley reached her.
Fire/EMS Battalion Chief Christopher Stiehl is serving as incident commander. Wyoming Highway Patrol will lead the investigation, Moyer said. WHP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Teton Pass is a steep stretch of mountain highway connecting Wyoming and Idaho that is traversed daily by thousands of commuters. It was closed following a deadly RV rollover in August 2024 that killed one person and injured four.
That was shortly after the corridor reopened after closing for nearly a month following a massive landslide.
WYDOT published a warning about steep grades, sharp curves and bad conditions on the pass in 2012 following a series of 17 accidents resulting in 12 injuries and two deaths over the previous decade.
In the winter, the pass sometimes closes for avalanche slides and weather-related crashes.
This article has been updated to include more details about how many people were killed, when the pass is expected to reopen and a bystander account. — Ed.
