Lack of seatbelt use a factor in deadly crash near Rock River

LARAMIE (WNE) — A woman was killed in a single vehicle rollover on U.S. Highway 30/287, approximately four miles south of Rock River on Oct. 7. Authorities concluded that a contributing factor was that she was not wearing a seatbelt. 

Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers found that a 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck was southbound when the truck left the roadway to the right. The driver then overcorrected the pickup back onto the road where the truck slid sideways across the roadway, before entering the ditch backwards. The truck then tripped and rolled at least once, according to a news release.

The female passenger, identified as Yenly Martinez Perez, 25, of Norfolk, Nebraska, and a male infant in a car seat were both completely ejected from the vehicle. 

Perez was taken by helicopter to Medical Center of the Rockies in Colorado and died at the medical facility four days later.

The male infant was taken by helicopter to Denver Children’s Hospital and was hospitalized.

The male driver was taken by ground ambulance to Ivinson Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.

The investigation revealed that Perez was not wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash, and that the child seat had not been properly secured. The driver was wearing his seatbelt.

Driver inattention is being considered as the primary factor in this crash.

This story was published on Oct. 18, 2025.