Three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team died and two others were injured when their sport utility vehicle veered off-road and rolled over along a rural highway in Colorado known for deadly wrecks, including one that killed eight other Wyoming athletes more than two decades ago.

The latest crash occurred on Thursday afternoon on U.S. 287, about 10 miles south of the Wyoming-Colorado line between Laramie and Fort Collins.

The crash happened when the Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicle with five people inside swerved and went off the pavement, and the vehicle rolled over multiple times, authorities said. 

Two people were ejected, while three were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

The crash killed Charlie Clark, 19, a sophomore psychology major from Las Vegas; Luke Slabber, 21, a junior studying construction management from Cape Town, South Africa; and, Carson Muir, 18, a freshman on the women’s team and an animal and veterinary sciences major from Birmingham, Alabama, according to the university.

The two injured team members, including the driver, were released from the hospital Friday, the Colorado State Patrol said in a statement. State authorities did not identify the survivors.

“We are heartsick at the news of this terrible tragedy for our university, our state, our student-athlete community and, most importantly, the families and friends of these young people,” University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel said in a statement.

“My thoughts and prayers are with our swimming and diving student-athletes, coaches, families and friends,” added Director of Athletics Tom Burman. “It is difficult to lose members of our University of Wyoming family, and we mourn the loss of these student-athletes. We have counseling services available to our student-athletes and coaches in our time of need.” 

The Colorado State Patrol has confirmed that the two survivors of the crash have been released from the hospital and the driver is one of the survivors.

The preliminary report, according to the state patrol, said that a vehicle in front of the Toyota RAV4 “slowed, possibly to turn left onto Red Mountain Road.”

“The driver of the Toyota RAV4 swerved left, driving off the shoulder of the road and the vehicle rolled multiple times. The cause of this single vehicle crash is unknown at this time, no factors have been ruled out, including but not limited to speed, impairment, or other distractions,” the state agency said. 

The SUV was headed south and apparently not on an official team trip, according to the state patrol.

The weather was fair and conditions clear at the time on the often busy, two- and three-lane highway that winds through the scenic Rocky Mountain foothills. Typical hazards include blind curves, wildlife, passing vehicles and traffic entering and exiting at intersections.

University of Wyoming students often take the road for shopping, socializing and entertainment in Fort Collins and Denver.

In 2001, a head-on crash with a drunken driver on the same highway killed eight members of the University of Wyoming cross-country team. Clint Haskins, also a University of Wyoming student, swerved into the lane in front of the northbound sport utility vehicle.

Haskins was the only survivor of that crash 15 miles south of Laramie. He pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and was paroled after 9 1/2 years in prison.

In 2021, three University of Wyoming students were killed when their car slid on icy pavement and was struck by an oncoming vehicle near the scene of Thursday’s wreck.

Portions of the road in Colorado have above-average crash rates, making the highway a good candidate for safety improvements, according to a summary of a 2023 Colorado Department of Transportation report.