Single-car crash in Colorado kills three University of Wyoming swimmers

Three members of the University of Wyoming swim team were killed Thursday in a single-car crash in Colorado.

The crash occurred on U.S. 287 about 10 miles south of the border between Colorado and Wyoming at around 2:45 p.m. Thursday, the Colorado State Patrol told the Casper Star-Tribune.

The driver swerved at an intersection and the Toyota Rav4 went off the road, rolling over multiple times, university officials said. Two people were ejected. Investigators are looking into the cause of the crash.

Sophomore Charlie Clark, 19, of Las Vegas, junior Luke Slabber, 21, from Cape Town, South Africa, and freshman women’s swimmer Carson Muir, 18, of Birmingham, Alabama, died in the crash, university officials said Friday. 

Two other male members of the team were injured, university officials said. Those injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Wyoming swim coach Dave Denniston told the swimming news website SwimSwam that he and the program are “devastated” by the crash.

“My thoughts and prayers are with our swimming and diving student-athletes, coaches, families and friends,” UW Director of Athletics Tom Burman said.

The fatal crash comes in the midst of the team’s conference championships.

The men are due to compete in the Western Athletic Conference championships from Wednesday through March 2 in Pharr, Texas, while the women are in the middle of competing in the Mountain West championships in Houston, which end Saturday.