Some Teton County Commissioners would see lower weight limits, better enforcement, and staff monitor a weigh station to keep Teton Pass safer. State Sen. Mike Gierau, a Jackson Democrat, said he has started the process to bring back legislation that would photograph and automatically fine overweight vehicles.
State and local electeds are among the growing group of community members calling for better safety measures on the well-traveled mountain corridor following a crash on Teton Pass last week that killed two.
“There’s a lot of outrage,” said Commissioner Luther Propst, who knew victim David Page well and served with him on the Outdoor Alliance board. “It takes a tragedy often to catalyze things.”
What happened?
On July 7, a dump truck carrying asphalt hit a motorcyclist and sent a pickup truck into another oncoming pickup. Two men died: Page, 57, of Mammoth Lakes, California and Nicholas Besobrasow, 66 of Tetonia, Idaho. Four others were hospitalized at St. John’s Health. All but one have been discharged. The remaining patient was in “fair condition” on Monday, according to a hospital spokesperson. The collision was the fifth fatal crash on the pass in as many years.
It’s not yet known if the dump truck exceeded the year-round 60,000-pound weight limit on the pass or how fast the driver was traveling. Officials are not publicly releasing the name of the 22-year-old driver for Avail Valley Construction until an investigation is complete.
Idaho records show the man has a recent history of several driving infractions, including three separate speeding violations in 2024. He was cited for an “improper or unsafe lane change,” in 2023. All four incidents resulted in minor fines, records show.
Family members reached by phone said the driver is still recovering and declined to comment further. An Avail representative defended their safety record and said they train their drivers but declined to comment further until the investigation is complete.
Wyoming Highway Patrol says it will take weeks to conclude its investigation due to the number of vehicles and witnesses involved.
A Wyoming Department of Transportation map of Teton Pass shows five fatal incidents in the past four years, including this week’s crash. Three were on the Idaho side, with one attributed to speed, another to a medical condition, and the other involving a motorcycle of unknown cause. In 2024, an RV rolled over near the latest collision site approaching Wilson. WYDOT determined “equipment failure” to be a contributing factor and noted that a seatbelt was not in use in that instance.
In the July 7 incident, the truck appeared to lose control just east of the truck arrestor and the runaway ramp heading down the pass into Wilson, according to highway patrol. It’s not clear whether the driver knew the truck’s brakes had failed at that point.
The arresting station – a series of nets to catch runaway vehicles away from oncoming traffic – has been used 11 times since its completion in 2017, WYDOT spokeswoman Stephanie Harsha said. It did not have an expected frequency of use as the technology was relatively new when it was installed, she said, but each use was a potentially fatal crash that was avoided.
What can be done?
Propst is pushing to ban heavy vehicles on the pass. He’d also like better patrollers and cameras for enforcing weight limits. And he’d like to see a community forum with state officials and residents.
Chair Mark Newcomb said such a meeting with WYDOT director Darin Westby would likely only happen after the investigation is complete. He acknowledged that Wyoming highways are dangerous beyond the specific hazards of Teton Pass.
Commissioners are limited in their ability to regulate a state highway. Newcomb said they could make recommendations to WYDOT, or state lawmakers.
At a Monday meeting, county Transportation Manager Charlotte Frei suggested reviving a state bill for automated speed enforcement. The commission is also considering hiring a highway safety consultant.
“This tragic incident really speaks to the importance of being proactive about these things,” Fry said.
While the state mulls weight limit changes and other measures, there is some disagreement about safety on the pass.
Bob Hammond, WYDOT’s resident engineer, said the best designs can’t account for a mechanical failure. While retired transportation planner Jared Smith, who lives in Wilson, said the breaks only fail if drivers don’t know how to use a low gear.
He wants to see people again in the weigh station in Idaho, which has not been staffed in more than a decade.
In 2019, district engineer Keith Compton estimated that a “full function port-of-entry” would cost $3.6 million for the facility and $450,000 to staff each year, not including housing, according to a letter shared with KHOL. Smith and Commissioner Wes Gardner both said that estimate seemed high.
The collision also brought up broader concerns about patrol staffing. WYDOT confirmed that troopers are hard to hire in the area.
Highway patrol staffs eleven roles for the region that includes Teton County. Only eight of the positions are currently filled, spokesperson Aaron Brown said.
Acknowledging the cost of staff, Gierau told KHOL he would bring back a bill that he sponsored in 2021 to flag overweight violators and automatically photograph and ticket out-of-order vehicle owners.
“To man that weigh station 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, it’s way too expensive,” he said. “Why don’t we use technology to help us do this?”
Highway patrol started evaluating a “virtual port” to flag overweight violators in 2019.
The July truck missed the first arrestor, but state officials think another could help.
That’s been part of the state transportation improvement plan, but has been pushed back at least seven years, Harsha said. The originally proposed site would have been under a conservation easement and required the rerouting of a bike path. A subsequent proposal was closer to residents who opposed the plans.
Newcomb said such a meeting with WYDOT director Darin Westby would likely only happen after the investigation is complete. He acknowledged that Wyoming highways are dangerous beyond the specific hazards of Teton Pass.
The Idaho side is, too: The day before the pass collision, a Jackson family was part of a deadly head-on crash on their way back from Idaho Falls. The family suffered extensive injuries, according to news reports and an online fundraiser.
This article has been updated online to remove a redundant word from the headline. — Ed.
