Laiton McMinn, 22, had appropriate training for commercial mountain driving but descended too quickly and burned through his brakes on July 7, resulting in what Wyoming Highway Patrol called a “totally preventable” crash that killed two on Teton Pass.
“Laiton’s brakes faded that day because of overuse, not a mechanical issue,” an affidavit by Trooper Brad Latchaw states. “Laiton had insufficient braking ability when he passed by the runaway escape ramp. If Laiton had taken the escape ramp, this crash would have never occurred.”
McMinn faces two criminal misdemeanor charges for homicide by vehicle, which could result in two years in jail and a $4,000 fine. A family member declined to comment.
Ellen Page, whose husband David was killed in the crash, welcomed the charges as a potential step toward better safety on the steep mountain corridor.
“I live this crash in my head over and over and over again,” she said. “And I think it was probably worse than what was in my head.”
The California resident is considering her own civil lawsuit pending the outcome of the criminal case. As is Mike Fischer, who was injured along with his wife, Belinda Gunn (pictured), in the multi-vehicle collision.
“We’re still pretty gimpy,” the Wilson resident said on Thursday.
McMinn is a professional driver whose truck was owned by Avail Valley Construction. He attended Sage Truck Driving School in Idaho Falls, according to the affidavit. The school teaches how to select a safe speed and correct gear before starting downhill to avoid brake failure.
McMinn told Latchaw, the state trooper, that his brakes were “kind of working and they were iffy” as he descended the pass hauling asphalt toward Wilson. He tried to drive the truck over the right-side guard rail but bounced off, the affidavit states. The investigation did not find that the truck was overweight.
Witnesses told highway patrol that the truck was driving too fast and had smoking brakes. The crash killed David Page, 57, of Mammoth Lakes, California, and Nicholas “Nick” Besobrasow, 66, of Tetonia, Idaho. Fischer and Gunn were hospitalized alongside McMinn and a motorcyclist from Texas.
The incident spurred calls to ban trucks on Teton Pass. Wyoming transportation officials have added signs and are working with Google and Apple Maps to add digital alerts. But other incidents have occurred since, including an RV rollover on Aug. 17 that sent an 11-year-old girl to the hospital.
The changes so far are insufficient, said Make Teton Pass Safer, a group that formed in the aftermath of the first crash.
“A prosecution does not change WYO 22 over Teton Pass, and it will not stop the next runaway vehicle,” the coalition wrote in response to the charges.
The group is calling for more signs and a vehicle checkpoint at the Wyoming–Idaho state line.
