Inattention suspected in deadly motorcycle crash near Kemmerer

KEMMERER (WNE) — A California motorcyclist is dead after crashing into the trailer of a semi- truck near Kemmerer last week.

According to a press release issued by the Wyoming Highway Patrol Tuesday afternoon, troopers were dispatched at 11:37 a.m. on August 13 to a collision on the US 30 / US 189 interchange in Kemmerer. 

“Troopers arrived to find a 1964 Harley Davidson had been southbound on US 189, while a Western Star Conventional commercial vehicle (semi-truck) was northbound,” the release said.

Investigators said the semi began to make a left turn onto the US 30 on ramp at milepost 34 and failed to yield to the motorcycle.

“The Harley struck the trailer of the semi- truck, and the rider became separated from the bike, coming to rest in the roadway,” said the release.

Officials identified the motorcyclist as 37-year-old Dakota Gracey, of Tehachapi, California. The WHP said he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, but he died at the scene. The semi-truck driver stayed on the scene as first responders arrived and was uninjured.

The agency is investigating the crash. Possible charges are pending, but driver inattention is suspected as a possible cause. 

According to the WHP, this was the 85th death on Wyoming roadways so far this year, com- pared to 80 in 2025 and 62 in 2024 during the same time period.

This story was published on August 20, 2026. 

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