A Colorado man was killed and another person was injured in a rollover crash on Teton Pass Wednesday evening, September 2, 2026, after a pickup truck towing a trailer went out of control on Wyoming Highway 22, authorities said.
The crash was reported shortly before 8 p.m. near milepost 6.5 to 7 on Teton Pass, between Jackson and the Idaho state line. Emergency crews responding to reports of a crash involving flames found a Ford F-250 pickup that had been towing a trailer overturned across the roadway.
The driver was traveling eastbound down the pass when the vehicle began gaining speed, according to the preliminary investigation by the Wyoming Highway Patrol. The pickup crossed from the eastbound lane into the westbound lane before leaving the highway and entering a ditch leading toward an uphill driveway.
Investigators said the driveway effectively became a ramp, causing the truck to launch into the air. The vehicle rolled before landing on its driver’s side on the opposite side of the roadway.
The passenger, identified as 41-year-old Javier De Luna Chavez of Colorado, was pronounced dead at the scene. A second person was transported by ambulance to St. John’s Health in Jackson. That person’s condition had not been released in the latest available report.
The crash completely blocked Wyoming Highway 22, forcing a full closure of the important mountain route. Emergency crews and investigators remained at the scene while debris was cleared and the wreckage was removed. The roadway reopened shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to local reporting.
The preliminary investigation identified speed and another unspecified factor as possible contributors to the crash. Investigators also reported that the roadway was dry and weather conditions were clear at the time.
The fatal crash comes during a particularly difficult period for Teton Pass, where several serious crashes have occurred in recent months. On July 7, a runaway dump truck traveling down the pass struck multiple vehicles in a chain-reaction collision that killed Nicholas Besobrasow, 66, and David Page, 57, and seriously injured several other people.
That July crash has since resulted in criminal charges against 22-year-old Laiton George McMinn of Idaho. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of homicide by vehicle after a Wyoming Highway Patrol investigation concluded that he descended the pass too quickly, overused the truck’s brakes and failed to use a runaway-truck escape ramp.
The latest fatality has renewed concerns among residents and travelers about safety on Teton Pass, a steep mountain route used by commuters, commercial vehicles, tourists and motorists towing trailers. Community advocates have been calling for additional warnings and other measures aimed at preventing crashes on the steep descent.
The investigation into Wednesday night’s crash remains ongoing. Authorities have not indicated that anyone other than the occupants of the pickup and trailer was involved.
For now, the confirmed information is that one person died and another was injured after a pickup towing a trailer crashed and overturned on Teton Pass Wednesday evening. Investigators will continue examining the circumstances surrounding the crash as officials work to determine exactly what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.
