A suspected impaired driver earlier this week drove his vehicle into a Wyoming Department of Transportation vehicle while road crew employees were working nearby, injuring the road workers, according to WYDOT accounts.
According to a social media post from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, around 7:30 a.m. on Monday, two Wyoming Department of Transportation employees were working on the shoulder of Interstate 80 near Green River, cleaning delineator posts.
The employees activated the “arrow board” on their state vehicle, alerting traffic of their presence.
A Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was in the area and noticed an older Ford pickup that was traveling westbound, just east of the WYDOT employees, that was weaving across both lanes.
The trooper attempted to catch up with the Ford pickup to initiate a traffic stop.
However, the Ford collided with the rear of the WYDOT vehicle on the shoulder of the highway before the trooper could catch up with it. The collision caused the WYDOT vehicle to be pushed off the roadway, and the Ford pickup came to rest in the left lane of the interstate, causing the closure of I-80 westbound lanes until the scene could be cleared.
The Highway Patrol is investigating whether the driver of the pickup may have been impaired at the time of the accident.
The WYDOT employees were injured and transported to the Sweetwater County Memorial Hospital. The driver of the Ford pickup, a resident of Green River, sustained serious injuries, but is expected to recover.
