January 4, 2023 |
Photo – Blood Alcohol Content poster – Courtesy general.com
More information has been released about the November 30th crash east of Medicine Bow that took the lives of two men and seriously injured another.
On the morning of November 30th, brothers Angel Solorio and Richard King were driving to work in Laramie on Highway 30. At the same time, 32-year-old Zachery Clar was heading westbound, toward Medicine Bow.
According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol’s accident report, around mile post 274, Clar, driving a 2015 Jeep Compass, crossed over the center line and the east bound lane, leaving the roadway. Clar overcorrected to the right and lost traction as he re-entered Highway 30. Clar then overcorrected to the left, causing his Jeep to rotate counterclockwise. During this overcorrection the Jeep entered King and Solorio’s lane of travel. King, who was driving a 2013 Infiniti JX35, took evasive action by steering to the right. The Jeep’s front end struck the driver’s side fender and door of the Infiniti.
King, who was wearing his seatbelt, died at the scene. Solorio was ejected from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries. Clar was critically injured and airlifted to Cheyenne, where he succumbed to his injuries 10 days later.
The most recent Wyoming Highway Patrol crash report provided to Bigfoot99 states that Clar had a blood alcohol level of .06% several hours after the crash.
Solorio and King’s mother, Maria King, said Highway Patrol troopers told her, soon after the incident, that alcohol was being investigated as the cause of the crash. King said Solorio was transported to the hospital in the same ambulance as Clar and he could smell alcohol on the man’s breath.
King said the police report states that Clar was traveling from Laramie to his work site outside of Medicine Bow while intoxicated. King said Clar drove directly at her son’s vehicle.
Clar was an employee of Vestas, a wind turbine manufacturing and installation company operating outside Medicine Bow. King said she asked the company if Clar had a history of showing up to work drunk. The grieving mother said Vestas has refused to provide any answers.
King said initial reports blamed the crash on Clar being tired. King said fatigue may have played a part in the incident, but it was Clar’s decision to drive while intoxicated that took the life of her son, Richard.
King said after Clar lost control of his Jeep, he ended up driving directly toward her son’s vehicle. She said her other son, Angel Solorio, would have died as well if it wasn’t for Richard’s quick thinking.
King said thanks to Richard’s evasive maneuvers, Solorio only suffered a broken hip and fractured nose. The men’s mother said her son requires surgery to remove painful bone fragments lodged in his hip socket. King said her sons only received a small payout from Clar’s insurance to cover medical expenses.
King said Solorio’s surgery is expected to cost around $33,000. The man’s mother said Solorio’s wife set up a GoFundMe to help cover his medical bills.
King said her son Richard moved to Medicine Bow six weeks before the crash. She said her son dreamed of becoming a cattle rancher. King said if Clar has chosen not to drink and drive that day her son would still be alive.
While Clar was in the hospital, Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Caleb Hobbs was granted a court order to obtain a sample of Clar’s blood for alcohol testing. It took approximately four hours from the time of the crash to the time the blood sample was drawn. The results showed that Clar had a blood alcohol content of .06%. King said Trooper Hobbs told her that, at the time of the crash, Clar’s blood alcohol content was likely much higher.
For reference, the Cleveland Clinic states that a blood alcohol content of .3% can cause a person to lose consciousness. It is very likely that Mrs. King meant that Clar’s BAC was .11%, which is still far over the legal limit of .08.
Richard King left behind his wife and three young children. Upon hearing of the tragedy, the entire town of Medicine Bow stepped in to provide both the King and Solorio families with furniture, clothing, and money. King said she is grateful for the countless people who helped her sons.
Soon after the crash, Medicine Bow Mayor Justin George set up a GoFundMe account for the King and Solorio families. Angel Solorio’s wife set up her own GoFundMe to help pay for her husband’s surgery. We will provide links to both campaigns in this story when it is posted to the Bigfoot99 website later today.
King and Solorio Family: Fundraiser by Justin-Jacque George : The King & Solorio Families (gofundme.com)
Solorio Medical Expenses: Fundraiser by Michelle Solorio : Help my husband with his medical bills (gofundme.com)
Meanwhile, the Wyoming Highway Patrol has provided additional information about the November 30th fatal drunk driving crash outside of Medicine Bow.
Wyoming Highway Patrol Public Information Specialist Trooper Ryan Gerdes provided a statement regarding Zachary Clar’s toxicology report. In an email to Bigfoot99, Trooper Gerdes said Clar tested positive for both alcohol and marijuana after the fatal crash.
On the morning of November 30th, Clar was driving westbound, from Laramie, toward his wind turbine job site near Medicine Bow. Clar lost control of his 2015 Jeep Compass and stuck the vehicle occupied by brothers Richard King and Angel Solorio. The two men had recently moved to Medicine Bow and were heading to Laramie for work. King died at the scene. Solorio suffered a broken hip and fractured nose. Clar died several days later from injuries sustained in the collision.
According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, five hours after the crash, Clar’s blood alcohol concentration was .06%. In Wyoming, the legal limit is .08%. A person is considered to be impaired when they are at or in excess of that limit. Trooper Gerdes said the legal blood draw was delayed because medical staff were attempting urgent life saving measures on Clar, which take priority.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol toxicology report indicated Clar was also under the influence of marijuana. Trooper Gerdes said he does not know the actual amount of THC in Clar’s system, but said it was sufficient to be considered as a contributing factor when it comes to impairment.
Unlike states like Colorado, Wyoming does not have a set legal limit for THC levels in a person’s blood stream. According to the investigating Trooper, “WHP considers the level of intoxication as a major contributing factor in the cause of the crash.”
Trooper Gerdes added that driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is dangerous, as evidenced by this deadly collision. Poly-drug use can have unpredictable and catastrophic results. Trooper Gerdes said possessing or being under the influence of marijuana is still illegal in Wyoming.
