Skid marks at the scene of a devastating crash shows a pickup with a camper tried to stop before plowing into a semitrailer on U.S. Highway 85 near Lusk and killing two adults and a 10-year-old girl napping above the truck’s cab.
The crash, detailed by the Wyoming Highway Patrol in a Tuesday report, happened at about 11:21 p.m. on Friday at mile marker 159 on U.S. 85, about 9 miles north of Lusk, the report says.
WHP troopers were dispatched to the scene after receiving reports of a collision between a northbound pickup and a semi that reportedly had mechanical failure in the path of the pickup, the agency reports.
In addition to killing three people in the pickup, two others were seriously hurt and taken out of state by helicopter for medical attention, the WHP reports.
A crash summary from the Wyoming Highway Patrol shows that a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia semitrialer had been pulling out of a northbound turnabout parking area at mile marker 159 when the crash happened.
The driver told troopers that during the maneuver, the transmission failed and the clutch slipped into neutral. Unable to shift gears, the driver attempted a U-turn to move the truck into a southbound turnabout parking area.
The semi came to rest with its front bumper in the southbound turnabout and the rear of the trailer in the northbound turnabout, with the trailer blocking both lanes of travel on U.S. 85.
He was there for about “a couple of minutes” before the pickup came along, said WHP spokesman Aaron Brown.
At that time, a 1995 Ford F-250 pickup with a camper in the bed was traveling northbound on the highway.
The driver of the semi told troopers he opened his door and attempted to wave down the approaching pickup, but he wasn't able to stop the other truck in time.
Investigators observed skid marks on the highway, which tells them the pickup attempted to stop, but the marks were not very long. Brown said the vehicle likely struck the trailer at "highway speed."
Three Fatalities
Dead are Craig Gates, 67, of Littleton, Colorado, who was driving the pickup, and his wife Donna Gates, 68, who was the front-seat passenger. Both were wearing seat belts, the WHP reports.
The 10-year-old girl had been in the sleeping area above the cab and was ejected into the semitrailer during the crash, the report adds.
Two additional passengers, both riding in the camper and not wearing restraints, were injured.
Brandy Cline, 42, of Akron, Colorado, was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. An 11-year-old girl was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Loveland, Colorado.
Their conditions weren’t available by publication time.
Brown said that while riding unrestrained in a truck-bed camper is not permitted, it is legal to ride unrestrained in certain types of trailers being towed, depending on the configuration.
Still, "that doesn't make it a good idea," said Brown.
Investigation Ongoing
The driver of the semi was not hurt, and Brown said that weather conditions at the time of the crash were clear, and the roadway was dry.
Investigators are still working to determine why the pickup did not slow sooner before impact.
Possible mechanical issues involving the semi transmission are being examined as a contributing factor.
“This is a huge tragedy,” Brown told Cowboy State Daily. "It's just awful."
With this crash, the number of roadway fatalities in Wyoming in 2026 stands at 38, compared to 31 by May 1 of 2025 and 26 in 2024.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
