Three University of Wyoming Swimmers Killed in Car Accident
Three swimmers from the University of Wyoming were killed in a car accident in northern Colorado on Thursday.
The athletes were involved in a single-vehicle accident on U.S. 287 in Larimore County, northwest of the city of Livermore. The accident occurred at 2:45 p.m. Two other individuals are dealing with injuries from the crash, according to the Casper Star-Tribune.
The accident occurred some 40 miles south of Wyoming’s campus in Laramie.
Names of the swimmers were not released, pending notification of their families. They were only identified as being age 18, 19 and 21, by the Colorado State Patrol.
“We are heartsick at the news of this terrible tragedy for our university, our state, our student-athlete community and, most importantly, the families and friends of these young people,” UW President Ed Seidel says. “Words are insufficient to express our sadness.”
Wyoming’s women’s swim team is currently on the second day of the Mountain West Conference Championships at Houston’s CRWC Natatorium. The men’s team is due to take part in the Western Athletic Conference Championships next week in Pharr, Texas.
According to the Star-Tribune, this is the fourth fatal vehicle accident involving University of Wyoming athletes in the last 25 years, all of them occurring in the general vicinity of campus. Eight cross country runners died in an accident in 2001, while a football player died in 2010 and a track and field athlete last July. Three of the incidents have occurred on U.S. 287.
“My thoughts and prayers are with our swimming and diving student-athletes, coaches, families and friends,” UW Director of Athletics Tom Burman says. “It is difficult to lose members of our University of Wyoming family, and we mourn the loss of these student-athletes. We have counseling services available to our student-athletes and coaches in our time of need.”
Story will be further updated as more information becomes available.