Four Dead After Heavy Rains Washout WYO 130 [PHOTOS]

Four people have died and two were hospitalized after flash flooding washed out a 25 foot section of Snowy Range Road (WYO 130) at mile post 55.8 Monday night. The Wyoming Highway Patrol reports that the four fatalities are from one family whose vehicle drove into the washout at Brush Creek near Ryan Park. An emergency response vehicle was also washed downstream, but the driver was able to escape unharmed.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) suspects the washout occurred because debris from torrential rain clogged a drainage culvert which caused the water to wash away the pavement around the culvert. Sgt. Steve Townsend says a plane from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office is flying over the area this morning searching for any additional vehicles affected by the flooding.

WYDOT has closed WYO 130 south of Laramie from mile post 36 to mile post 68 near Saratoga. Troopers in the area report that USFS roads #100 and #227 have also been washed out with one bridge being washed away on USFS road #100 upstream.

The floodwaters will have to recede before highway repairs can begin. WYDOT District Engineer Pat Persson says the U.S. Forest Service has given permission to haul materials from a site nearby and equipment will be staged at the location so repairs can begin as soon as the water recedes sufficiently.

Persson says the highway will be reopened as soon as possible, but it could take until next week for the work to be completed.