More than a year after an 18-year-old Montana man was killed while trying to help a crashed driver on a dark Wyoming highway, prosecutors have filed a felony DUI case against the driver he stopped to help.
Nathan Geertz O’Leary of Sheridan, now 20, is charged in Albany County with driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury stemming from the March 23, 2025, crash on Wyoming Highway 130 west of Laramie.
O’Leary is not charged with causing the death of Riggin Schaffer, the 18-year-old WyoTech student who stopped to help him that night and was killed when another pickup slammed into the crash scene.
The felony charge was filed in July and signed by Albany County prosecutor Joel Defebaugh. A summons was issued the following day.
O’Leary made his initial appearance Tuesday morning.
The prosecution comes more than a year after the Wyoming Highway Patrol initially cited O’Leary for DUI, open container, minor in possession of alcohol and failure to maintain a single lane after the crash.
Bottle of Tito's
The chain of events began shortly after 10 p.m. March 23, 2025, near milepost 22 between Laramie and Centennial.
Wyoming Highway Patrol and court documents note O’Leary, then 18, was driving a silver 2012 Ford F-150 eastbound at a high rate of speed.
Investigators say O’Leary lost control as he entered a bridge deck. The pickup struck the north guardrail, crossed the highway, hit the south guardrail and continued to spin.
It eventually came to rest blocking the westbound lane, its driver's side exposed to approaching traffic.
It was dark and cloudy, with intermittent snow flurries. The bridge had no lighting.
Riggin Stopped
Before emergency crews arrived, another 18-year-old came upon O’Leary’s wrecked pickup.
Riggin Schaffer was from Broadus, Montana, and had moved to Laramie to attend WyoTech, where he was studying automotive restoration.
Schaffer stopped his own vehicle, got out and walked to the driver's side of O’Leary’s pickup to check on him.
At about 10:34 p.m., Timothy John, then 49, of Centennial was driving west in another Ford F-150.
John told investigators he initially saw a flashing light that he believed belonged to a vehicle on the shoulder, according to court documents.
By the time he realized O’Leary’s pickup was blocking the westbound lane, he couldn't avoid it.
John's pickup struck the driver's side of O’Leary’s truck and Schaffer, who was standing alongside it.
Schaffer died at the scene.
Troopers did not suspect John of impairment, and he was not cited.
Investigators found an open bottle of Tito’s vodka on the passenger-side floorboard of the pickup, according to the probable cause affidavit.
O’Leary was taken by ambulance to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie. A blood sample taken after the crash later showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.179%, the affidavit alleges.
‘With His Whole Soul’
Schaffer's family later told Cowboy State Daily that stopping to help someone was entirely in character for the teenager.
He was by classic American muscle cars and moved to Laramie to learn collision repair, painting and upholstery at WyoTech.
He also worked at Snowy Range Ski Area.
His mother, Stephanie Schaffer, said that when her son became interested in something, he pursued it “with his whole soul.”
His family said Schaffer dreamed of someday opening his own restoration shop and bringing old muscle cars back to life.
Charges Come Later
The Highway Patrol initially treated the events as two separate crashes.
Troopers cited O’Leary after the first crash but said they couldn't arrest him at the scene because of his medical condition.
When Cowboy State Daily reported on the investigation in April 2025, toxicology results were still pending, and the Albany County Attorney's Office was reviewing the case.
More than a year passed before the new felony prosecution was filed.
A probable cause affidavit supporting the charge was signed July 14, 2026. The felony DUI charge was filed July 16, followed by a summons July 17.
Despite the circumstances surrounding Schaffer's death, the felony charge filed against O’Leary does not accuse him of killing Schaffer. He is charged with driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury. He now faces up to 10 years in prison.
Cowboy State Daily has reached out to the Albany County Attorney's Office for more information about the charge and the length of time between the crash and the filing of the felony case.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
