Two die in motorcycle/SUV crash north of Cody Saturday

Posted 7/9/19

A Cody couple was killed Saturday afternoon after their motorcycle collided with an oncoming SUV on Wyo. Highway 120, south of Clark.

Timothy Zeller was 57 and his wife Stacey Zeller was …

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Two die in motorcycle/SUV crash north of Cody Saturday

Posted

A Cody couple was killed Saturday afternoon after their motorcycle collided with an oncoming SUV on Wyo. Highway 120, south of Clark.

Timothy Zeller was 57 and his wife Stacey Zeller was 54.

According to information from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Timothy Zeller was heading north on Wyo. Highway 120 when he attempted to pass another vehicle that was traveling below the speed limit. However, “the motorcycle did not have enough space to pass,” the patrol summary says.

The Zellers’ 2007 Harley Davidson crashed into the front passenger side of an oncoming, southbound Toyota Highlander. The driver of the Highlander hit the brakes, but couldn’t avoid the high-speed collision. Both vehicles were traveling between 60 and 70 miles per hour, said Lt. Lee Pence of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

The Zellers died at the scene. The patrol believes both Zellers were wearing helmets, but “it didn’t matter in this case, unfortunately,” Pence said.

The patrol said it’s investigating whether inattention on Timothy Zeller’s part was a factor in the crash.

While the driver of the Highlander, 70-year-old Vaughn Gdula of Cody, was not injured, a passenger in the SUV, 67-year-old Charlotte Gdula of Cody, suffered head injuries. She was taken by ambulance to Cody Regional Health and then transferred to Billings for further evaluation, Pence said. Both of the Gdulas were wearing their seat belts, the patrol said.

Emergency responders were summoned to the scene around 2:12 p.m.

The Zellers were the 81st and 82nd people to die on Wyoming’s highways and roads in 2019. Later on Saturday, the state recorded its 83rd death when a 45-year-old Michigan man walked into the road on U.S. Highway 85 south of Cheyenne and was hit by a passing vehicle.

Fatalities are up dramatically from last year. At this same point in 2018, there were 49 fatalities.

Saturday’s fatal crash was the second in as many weekends in Park County. On Saturday, June 29, 56-year-old Vicki Smith of Basin was killed in a two-vehicle crash just north of Meeteetse, also on Wyo. 120.

Park County Coroner Tim Power said the state tends to have down years and up years for fatalities.

“It’s so tragic for families,” Power said.

Pence said there’s been a recent uptick in crashes, though there’s been no specific cause tying them together.

“I think the biggest thing is driver attention,” he said. “People need to just focus on driving.”

While people might first think of cellphones, “anything can be a distraction — even just looking out at the wildlife,” Pence said.

He encouraged people to look twice for motorcyclists and to generally resist the urge to hurry.

“It’s not worth it. Especially at 70 mph, [when] things go bad, they go bad quick,” Pence said.

He also encouraged drivers to wear protective equipment, like seat belts and helmets. He noted a recent motorcycle crash on U.S. Highway 14/16/20 outside of Cody in which the use of helmets likely saved the lives of the bikers.

“They make a difference,” Pence said of safety equipment.

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