Wyoming Driver Dead After Crashing Into Deck
A 58-year-old Wyoming man is dead after crashing his car into a deck.
According to a fatality crash summary from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 2:40 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5 at 200 E. Converse St. in Moorcroft.
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The summary says Michael Wertacet was behind the wheel of a Mercury Sable when he failed to negotiate a left-hand curve, went off the roadway and through a property fence, and hit a deck attached to a residence.
It's unknown if Wertacet, who died from his injuries, was wearing his seat belt.
The summary did not list any possible contributing factors.
This is the seventh fatality on Crook County's roadways so far this year. The county recorded four traffic fatalities in 2022.
2022's Deadliest Wyoming County by Traffic Deaths
While car crashes can occur anywhere, some roads in Wyoming are more dangerous than others.
According to Wyoming Highway Patrol data, there were 117 fatal crashes in the Cowboy State in 2022 resulting in 133 deaths.
Of those fatal crashes, the majority (13.68%) occurred in Laramie County -- two in January, one in February, one in March, two in April, one in June, two in July, three in August, two in September, one in November, and one in December.
Sweetwater County saw the second most fatal crashes last year, 12, while Fremont and Lincoln counties each saw 10.
Albany and Park counties each recorded eight, and Campbell, Converse, and Natrona counties each tallied seven.
The deadliest 2022 crash in Laramie County took place on June 17 when two semis collided on Interstate 80 east of Cheyenne and immediately became engulfed in flames killing both drivers and a passenger.
- 3 Dead After Semis Collide on I-80 East of Cheyenne
- Wyoming Highway Patrol Releases More Details in Fiery I-80 Crash That Killed 3
Laramie County also saw two fatal crashes involving motorcyclists, two fatal crashes involving juveniles, and a fatal crash involving a pedestrian last year.
Below is the Wyoming Highway Patrol narrative of every fatal crash that occurred in Laramie County in 2022.
Gallery Credit: Joy Greenwald