ALPINE, WY — A Lincoln County man escaped with minor injuries Monday after his Ford pickup left U.S. Highway 89, crossed into oncoming traffic and went through a guardrail before landing in the Snake River. The Wyoming Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 1:20 p.m. at mile marker 124, upstream from Alpine.
The truck rolled two or three times and came to rest on its wheels about 20 feet into the water. The driver was treated at an Alpine hospital and released later that day.
How The Crash Unfolded
Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman Aaron Brown said the driver reported losing control of the pickup while traveling southbound. After drifting into the opposite lane, the truck sideswiped a car hauler before breaking through the guardrail and dropping down the embankment.
Brown described the vehicle as badly crushed after the rollover and river impact. Despite that, the driver was able to get out on his own.
Seat Belt Likely Saved Him
Brown said investigators believe the driver was likely wearing a seat belt, and that may have been the difference between minor injuries and a fatal outcome. He said people who are thrown from rolling vehicles often suffer life-threatening injuries.
He could not confirm the belt use directly, but pointed to the man’s condition and self-rescue as strong signs it was in use.
Cited After The Wreck
The driver was not only hospitalized and released, but also issued a citation for failure to maintain lane. Brown said that was the traffic violation tied to the crash.
The wreck happened near one of the Snake River Canyon’s best-known rapids, a stretch locals call the Big Kahuna. The site is so well known that the U.S. Forest Service has placed an AED at the Red Creek Trailhead nearby for emergency use.
A Dangerous Stretch Of River
Search and rescue volunteers have long treated the Big Kahuna area as a hazardous part of the canyon. Star Valley Search and Rescue captain Clint Erickson has called it infamous among rafting guides and volunteers because of the way the river can sweep people into that area.
The canyon has seen deadly falls before, including the June 2025 death of 89-year-old Joyce Balls of Rigby, Idaho, who fell from the Big Kahuna Overlook. Lincoln County officials said she died from injuries sustained in the fall.
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