Tower Down - 04.03.23 (WY) "Updated 04.05.23"

[TowForce]

Fatal crash on I-80 near Wamsutter claims two lives

 

A fatal crash occurred at milepost 184 on Interstate 80 east of Wamsutter, Wyoming, this morning, Monday, April 3, 2023. The collision resulted in two fatalities and one injury.

 

At approximately 3:10 a.m., a 1995 Kenworth was headed west on Interstate 80 when the driver lost control of the commercial truck causing the vehicle to leave the road to the right. The driver overcorrected to the left, causing the commercial truck to overturn and enter the median, colliding with a tow truck recovering a car from a previous slide off.

 

The driver of the Kenworth has been identified as a 41-year-old Houston, Texas resident Edgar F. Echeverria. Echeverria was not wearing a seatbelt and succumbed to his injuries in the crash.

 

The tow truck driver has been identified as 45-year-old Wamsutter, Wyoming, resident Kirby Lugg. Lugg was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, where he succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash.

 

The third car’s driver was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County for injuries sustained in the crash.

 

Speeding too fast for road conditions on the part of Echeverria is being investigated as a possible contributing factor.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

[Barry Sanford]

So sorry to hear this terrible news.  I lost my brother a few years ago to a gunshot.

This too shall pass

Barry

[bobatlangleyvale]

Thinking of you all. condolences to the family and colleagues.

[Jeff J]

Condolences to his two families…we have to stop this to save our brothers 

[Ricky Parker]

condolences to everyone involved and prayers

[Steve Catlett]

What words do you use for such a tragedy way to many of us getting killed just trying to do our job. My condolences to these families 

[SammyWebber]

So sorry to hear this,  praying for all the families 🙏 ❤ 😢 

[mooresbp]

Our thoughts and prayers

[Sheridan]

This one bothered me bad. He is from a company we know.

Here is the Go Fund Me for him. https://gofund.me/ec1fb9c5

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by Sheridan

[Doreen ur Finance Lady]

OMG I am so sorry to hear this sad news.

Praying for all the family's.

 

[5towman]

Very sad. Our hearts go out to his family. We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers. 

[Kristi M. Johnson]

Kirby Lugg was an amazing man with a heart of gold who helped me on more than one occasion. It breaks my heart thinking of the circumstances surrounding his tragic death. His is the 2nd death to an emergency responder this season snowy on I-80 between Rawlins and Wamsutter Wyoming. My deepest and most sincere condolences to his loved ones. Please remember to drive safely in all road conditions and to maintain 100% focus on your surroundings while driving. Driving safely saves lives and prevents injuries. Prayers for his family!

[auto rescue]

My Condolences to the families involved

[Noah Mason]

Condolences to the relatives. Very sad news.

[TowForce]

Son Recalls How Wamsutter Tow Truck Driver Who Died In I-80 Crash 'Taught Me About Being A Man' 

 

Kirby Lugg died early Monday when an 18-wheeler hit him as he tried to winch a car out of the barrow ditch between Interstate lanes, but he leaves behind a grateful family and a legacy of fatherhood.  

 

Kirby Lugg knew the value of a hard day's work. 

 

He died at age 45 Monday, from the impact of a speeding semi truck, while winching a car out of a snowy I-80 median gully near Wamsutter with his tow truck.   

A fierce spring blizzard blasted most of Wyoming that morning, including the stretch of Interstate along Wamsutter, the town Lugg had called home for the past decade.  

Countless Close Calls  

 

Lugg was a tow truck driver for 10 years, his son Jeremy Mitcham told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.    

 

He'd get called out into the night and onto the Interstate often.   

 

"It's extremely hard work," said Mitcham. "Dangerous work, obviously long hours."  

 

Mitcham said his dad had "countless" close calls before with speeding or errant vehicles, but hadn't suffered a crash during a tow prior to the one that took his life.   

The driver of the truck that hit Lugg, Edgar F. Echeverria, of Texas, died at the scene. Authorities took Lugg to the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to a statement by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.   

 

Snippets about the tragic scene have reached Mitcham and his wife Hailey in the day and a half since Lugg died. 

 

"We heard a story," said Mitcham. "The guy he was towing out; his daughter posted (that) Kirby warned the guy to get out of the way. And he was able to get out of the way. He still got hit. But I don't know what would have happened if Kirby hadnt told him to get out of the way."   

 

The driver of the car, whom Lugg had been helping, went to the hospital for his injuries and is now in stable condition, said Mitcham. 

 

'Taught Me About Being A Man' 

 

Mitcham always called Lugg "Dad," though Lugg married Mitcham's mother when the latter was 4 years old.   

 

The couple would have been married 22 years this year, Mitcham said.   

 

Mitcham was morose Tuesday over the loss of his father figure and best friend.   

 

"He taught me the meaning of a hard day's work, and a lot about being a man," said Mitcham. "I could go on for hours about everything he taught me."  

 

These are the values Mitcham said he wants to pass on to his own young son, Brantley.   

 

A perennial father figure, Lugg raised his wife's three children but never had any biological children of his own. Before he died Lugg was also raising his 8-year-old grandson, CJ, who is the son of Mitcham's sister.  

 

Mitcham said Lugg treated the boy "as his own."

 

The 8-year-old boy is taking the news of Lugg's death better than expected, said Mitcham, adding that he suspects its harder for the boy to grasp the gravity of the loss at that age.   

 

A Wrench, A Laugh  

 

Mitcham said he was having a hard time articulating his memories in tragedy's aftermath.   

 

But what he could recall denoted a fullness of character not easy to forget.   

 

"He was a prankster and a jokester and loved to make people laugh," said Mitcham of his dad. "People that didn't know him would leave a conversation with him feeling like they were lifelong friends." 

 

Lugg taught Mitcham everything he knows about working on cars, he said. On his time off, Lugg would work on vehicles of friends and family members "for practically free," Mitcham recalled.   

 

The family moved to Wyoming from Idaho about 10 years ago, said Mitcham. They settled in Wamsutter, though Mitcham and his wife have lived in Rawlins for the past five years.   

 

Still, he said, The families have remained close.   

 

"(He was an) incredible person," Mitcham said. "He took care of everybody. Loved helping people." 

 

RESOURCE LINK

[Animosus]

Rest easy friend.