Thursday afternoon, five University of Wyoming (UW) swim team members were in a fatal single-vehicle crash, killing three and injuring two. According to the Colorado State Patrol, the incident took place on U.S. Highway 287 -- ten miles south of the Wyoming-Colorado border, when the car veered off the left shoulder of a southbound lane, rolling multiple times and ejecting two people.
Those killed were Charlie Clark, a 19-year-old sophomore from Las Vegas, Nevada on the men’s swim team; Luke Slabber, a 21-year-old junior from Cape Town, South Africa on the men’s swim team; and Carson Muir, an 18-year-old freshman from Birmingham, Alabama on the women’s team.
The two other men’s swim team members in the crash, 20 and 21, suffered injuries from the crash but they are said to not be life threatening.
"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’s President Ed Seidel stated in a news release.
The students were not believed to have been traveling for an official school event and the cause of the crash is still being investigated.
U.S. Highway 287 has been known for tragic accidents to occur. Taking the lives of eight members of the UW cross country team in 2001, about seven miles north of Colorado, after being hit by a drunk driver.
“I am heartbroken to learn of the tragic deaths of three University of Wyoming student athletes in a motor vehicle accident on US 287 in Colorado,” Governor Mark Gordon said in a statement. “Jennie and I join the entire university community and all of Wyoming in mourning this loss, and we ask you to keep their families, friends and loved ones close to your hearts during this difficult time.”
These swim team members' deaths come just one week after Sabrina Geller, an Army ROTC student, was found dead in Laramie at the Vedauwoo Climbing Area.
UW students in need of support are encouraged to contact the University Counseling Center at (307) 766-2187. UW employees can seek assistance through the Employee Assistance Program -- specifically, MINES & Associates, at 1-800-873-7138.
