Crash kills driver, injures horse

RIVERTON (WNE) — Speed is being investigated as a factor in a fatal crash near Dubois that left a Maryland man dead, and a passenger and horse injured.

On October 13 at around 9:30 a.m., officials responded to a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 26 near mile marker 72.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol reports that a 2015 Ford transit van was westbound and attempted to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone, with passing restricted because of an approaching hill. 

“As the Ford pulled into the eastbound lane to pass, an eastbound 2012 Dodge Ram pickup pulling a horse trailer was on the other side of the hill,” WHP Public Information Officer Aaron Brown said in a statement.

Both drivers attempted to avoid one another but ultimately collided. The driver of the Dodge pulled to the right and the Ford hit it at the front driver’s side corner, then ran down the side of the Dodge and struck the corner of the horse trailer, forcing the trailer to detach. The trailer and both vehicles catapulted in different directions.

Benjamin Jackson, 59, of Bladensburg, Md., was the driver of the Ford; he died as a result of his injuries after being taken by helicopter to a Casper medical facility. A passenger in his vehicle was taken by ground ambulance to SageWest Lander for treatment. 

The driver of the Dodge suffered minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital. The horse also suffered minor injuries.

This story was published on Oct. 24. 2025.