A Gillette man died in the first recorded fatal crash on a Wyoming highway this year on Thursday, according to a news release from Wyoming Highway Patrol Sgt. David Wagener.

Michael Cada, 52, was driving a sport utility vehicle west on U.S. Highway 14-16 seven miles north of Gillette when it failed to properly exit from a right-hand corner at 6:20 p.m., Wagener wrote.

The SUV entered a spin, left the highway to the east and crossed a private driveway. The SUV tripped and rolled multiple times in a ditch.

Cada was not wearing his seat belt, was ejected, and died at the scene.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol is investigating alcohol as the contributing factor in this crash that marked the first highway fatality in Wyoming for 2017. There were two fatalities during this same time last year.

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