Driver who hit, killed Wilson moose charged with DUI

JACKSON (WNE) — A California man has requested a jury trial after being charged with misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving following a July crash on Highway 390 that killed a moose and sent three of the vehicle’s passengers to the hospital.

Jack John VanBindsbergen, 63, was cited by Wyoming Highway Patrol in the early morning hours of July 13 after the 2017 Toyota Yaris that he was driving struck a moose near milepost 1.4 and careened off the roadway.

According to the highway patrol crash report, VanBindsbergen’s blood alcohol concentration measured .17, more than twice Wyoming’s legal limit of .08.

One passenger was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center with serious injuries, while two others were treated at St. John’s Health in Jackson. VanBindsbergen was also taken to St. John’s and, according to jail logs, was neither arrested nor taken to jail. He was given two misdemeanor citations.

Investigators noted both speed and impairment as contributing factors, according to the report.

The crash report said the moose remained on the hood of the vehicle for over 100 feet before falling off the car. After the moose fell off, the vehicle traveled another 400 feet, crossing Clubhouse Drive, hitting a power box and finally stopping between a pole and a fence nearly 550 feet from the point of impact.

VanBindsbergen later told officers he remembered leaving the Mangy Moose in Teton Village, but could not recall the events that happened next.

He has pleaded not guilty to both counts of reckless driving and DUI and requested a jury trial through Teton County Circuit Court. 

Each misdemeanor count carries up to six months in jail and/or a $750 fine. A trial date has not yet been set, but the court has six months to schedule it.

This story was published on Sept. 17, 2025.