Four killed in head-on collision near Boulder
July 20, 2009
Four Colorado residents were killed on Sunday in a head-on collision south of Boulder in Sublette County.
According to a release by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the accident happened around 1:28 PM at milepost 86.5, one-1/2 miles south of Boulder on US 191. Two vehicles were involved in the crash, which resulted when one vehicle swerved to avoid a deer on the highway. A man and a woman in each vehicle were killed.
Victims in the first vehicle were Daniel J. Wahlen, 52, and Dani G. Elenga, 47, both of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Victims in the second vehicle were Gwen M. Rudolph, 66, and Edward J. Rudolph, 68, both also from Colorado Springs, Colorado. All four were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. Three died at the scene. One passenger was life flighted to a hospital in Idaho, where she died several hours later.
Wyoming Highway Patrol narrative:
Daniel Wahlen was northbound on US 191 driving a 1994 GMC Suburban and Edward Rudolph was southbound driving a 2005 Acura. Wahlen’s vehicle was pulling an empty flatbed 2 axle trailer. Wahlen attempted to avoid a collision with a deer that was on the highway. Wahlen’s vehicle struck and killed the deer at which time Wahlen swerved to the left going into the southbound lane. Both vehicles then collided head-on in the southbound lane. After impact both vehicles went off the west side of the roadway coming to rest in the barrow pit. The flatbed trailer went off the roadway on the east side. Elenga was transported by ground ambulance to Pinedale Medical Clinic in Pinedale. She was being life flighted to Eastern Idaho Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, via Air Idaho Rescue when she died. After the crash Troopers closed US 191 south of Boulder. All traffic was diverted onto WYO 353 and then diverted onto a county road back to US 191 south of the crash scene. The roadway opened to normal traffic at 5:32 p.m.
For more information contact Sergeant Stephen Townsend, Wyoming Highway Patrol, Phone: 307-777-4306.
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