Driver Dies After Crashing Into Irrigation Canal in Wyoming

A woman is dead after crashing her vehicle into an irrigation canal just north of Lander.

According to a fatality crash summary from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, 32-year-old North Dakota resident Samantha Adam was headed north on North Second Street (County Road 43) when she went off the right side of the road, across Dutch Ed Lane, and into the irrigation canal.

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After entering the canal, Adam's vehicle tipped onto its roof and was submerged under water.

The crash is estimated to have occurred sometime around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11, as it was not discovered until daylight that morning.

The summary says Adam was not wearing her seat belt but does not list any possible contributing factors.

Adam is the 124th person to die on Wyoming's highways this year, compared to 119 in 2022, 101 in 2021, 118 in 2020, and 136 in 2019 to date.

2022's Deadliest Wyoming County by Traffic Deaths

While car crashes can occur anywhere, some roads in Wyoming are more dangerous than others.

According to Wyoming Highway Patrol data, there were 117 fatal crashes in the Cowboy State in 2022 resulting in 133 deaths.

Of those fatal crashes, the majority (13.68%) occurred in Laramie County -- two in January, one in February, one in March, two in April, one in June, two in July, three in August, two in September, one in November, and one in December.

Sweetwater County saw the second most fatal crashes last year, 12, while Fremont and Lincoln counties each saw 10.

Albany and Park counties each recorded eight, and Campbell, Converse, and Natrona counties each tallied seven.

The deadliest 2022 crash in Laramie County took place on June 17 when two semis collided on Interstate 80 east of Cheyenne and immediately became engulfed in flames killing both drivers and a passenger.

Laramie County also saw two fatal crashes involving motorcyclists, two fatal crashes involving juveniles, and a fatal crash involving a pedestrian last year.

Below is the Wyoming Highway Patrol narrative of every fatal crash that occurred in Laramie County in 2022.

Gallery Credit: Joy Greenwald