Five people were hurt Tuesday morning as two vehicles collided on the North Fork highway west of Cody.
The crash occurred at 9:37, according to Wyoming Highway Patrol Lieutenant Lee Pence. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, first responders were dispatched to the call of a two-vehicle crash at Milepost 11 on U.S. 14-16-20 between Wapiti and Yellowstone’s East Entrance.
Pence said a 2020 Dodge Charger was westbound towards the East Entrance. As it rounded a corner, a 1997 Ford Ranger was heading east in the wrong lane. The driver of the Dodge Charger tried to steer left just before the impact but didn’t have time to avoid colliding with the Ford.
The Charger contained the 29-year-old driver from Cincinnati, Ohio, and three other occupants. The driver of the Ford Ranger was a 60-year-old Cody resident. All five people involved in the crash suffered injuries, but none of those injuries were determined to be life-threatening.
The Cody Fire Department arrived at the scene and determined an air ambulance was needed, so the highway was temporarily shut down to give the helicopter a place to land.
Once the patients were evacuated, one land traffic was opened. The entire scene was cleared, and the responding units had left by 12:16 p.m.
The reasons why the driver of the Ford Ranger was in the left lane remains unknown. State troopers continue to investigate the crash.
Pence in his statement Tuesday gave thanks to the passersby who stopped to assist the victims of the crash as well as the responding agencies: the Park County Sheriff’s Office, Wyoming State Parks, Park County Fire Department, and Cody Regional Health EMS personnel.
