Clark resident Mark Alan Cothern was killed in an ATV accident on Thursday, October 15.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol reports the incident occurred around 3:30 pm. Cothern was riding an ATV on Forest Service Road 123, west of Wapiti and just south of the Smith Mansion and the North Fork Highway within the boundaries of Shoshone National Forest.
Cothern left the dirt and gravel road for an unknown reason. While off-roading, the ATV flipped over, partially ejecting Cothern and pinning him underneath the vehicle. It was determined he was not wearing a seatbelt when this occurred.
Cothern died as a result of this incident. He was 62 years old.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol’s report lists “driver inattention” as the contributing factor to the fatal accident.
Cothern’s obituary reveals he moved to Clark in 2018, after retiring from two decades of work with the hardware supply company McMaster Carr in Douglasville, Georiga. He was an avid outdoorsman and quickly adapted to and enjoyed life in Wyoming.
Mark is survived by Teri Turner Cothern, his wife of 31 years.
Mark Alan Cothern was the 106th fatality on Wyoming’s highways in 2020. The last fatality in Park County was former Northwest College professor Dennis Brophy on Sept. 23.
