Following the tragic deaths of three swimmers in a car accident in northern Colorado, University of Wyoming students are coming together to support the swim team.
Carson Muir, Charlie Clark and Luke Slaber have been identified as the three Wyoming student athletes who died in a crash on Highway 287 north of Fort Collins.
CBS News Colorado visited the campus on Friday, where condolences and notes of support were posted on the walls of the halls leading to the swim team’s locker room.
According to the students of the campus, the students’ bodies were shaken after learning about the accident.
“It was horrible. It’s a tragedy. I think everybody feels for the swim team right now,” said Jess Smith, a graduate student at Wyoming.
CBS
They were among five killed in a Toyota Rav 4 that crashed on Thursday afternoon while traveling southbound in Fort Collins.
The Colorado State Patrol’s preliminary investigation shows that the vehicle swerved to avoid another vehicle that was preparing to make a turn.
The driver of the vehicle was one of the two who survived the accident.
The women’s swim team is in Texas for a meet, but when they return, they receive dozens of messages of support outside their locker room.
“I think it’s a great thing that the students are preparing these messages for them. We hope. We hope everyone is safe,” Smith said.
The two survivors have been released from the hospital. CSP has not completed their investigation, but said speed, distracted driving or injury have not yet been ruled out.
“I was shocked,” said Nathan Mitchell, a freshman at Wyoming.
CBS
Students said a campus-wide email was sent to inform them of their classmates’ sudden deaths.
“It was pretty brutal. A lot of people canceled classes, a lot of people didn’t get the classes that were available. Students and professors were all really hurt,” freshman Xander Lindsey said. “It’s very sad. It’s very dangerous to think that it could have happened to any of us on those roads. It was terrifying and very sad. It was very sad.”
Investigators are still looking into seat belt use at the time of the crash. There were evictions due to single-vehicle crashes.
In a statement to CBS News Colorado’s Dillon Thomas, Wyoming athletic director Tom Berman said:
“Please pray for these families as they need as much support as possible. We use the One Wyoming motto in our building, and it means – We are one state and supporting our Cowboys and Cowgirls – Please live!”
“My condolences to the family. I think everyone in Wyoming and Colorado is saying the same thing,” Mitchell said.