The Wyoming Highway Patrol says speed may be to blame for a weekend motorcycle crash that left a man dead.

It happened around 7:03 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at milepost 101.3 on Wyoming 120 (Belfry Highway) on the outskirts of Cody.

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According to a fatality crash summary, 56-year-old Illinois resident Joe Lees was riding southeast on Wyoming 120 on a rental motorcycle and had failed to slow down where the speed limit drops from a 70 mph zone to a 45 mph zone to a 35 mph zone.

"When the road curved to the right ... the motorcycle continued straight, contacting the opposite side concrete curb," the summary reads. "The motorcycle went up on the sidewalk on its side, then impacted a metal delineator post."

According to the summary, Lees was thrown from the motorcycle, and the motorcycle continued through the right-of-way fence and down a steep embankment.

Lees didn't have a helmet on and died from his injuries.

Lees is the 21st reported motorcyclist to die on Wyoming's highways this year.

According to fatal crash statistics from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the state saw 13 motorcycle fatalities in 2023, 20 in 2022, 15 in 2021, and 17 in 2020.

CORRECTION:

The crash happened on Wyoming 120 (Belfry Highway) near Road 2Ab, not the three-way intersection where Wyoming 120 (Depot Drive) joins U.S. 14A as was first reported. KGAB Radio regrets the error.

Motorcycle Helmet Laws by State / Fatal Crash Rate

Throughout the country, motorcycle helmet laws vary depending on which of the 50 states you're riding through. The legal team at Anidjar & Levine recently compiled data from the National Highway Safety Transportation Association (NHSTA) comparing the number of fatal crashes in each state that involved the rider wearing a helmet and those without. Here's an alphabetical look at Motorcycle Helmet Laws by State / Fatal Crash Rate.

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