Man dies after vehicle plunges in Wyoming reservoir

TORRINGTON (WNE) — A 75-year-old man died after driving his vehicle into a reservoir in Wheatland on Saturday, marking the first roadway fatality in Wyoming this year, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

George Garland of Wheatland was driving a 2013 Chevy Cruze southbound on Wyoming Highway 310 when he failed to negotiate a T- intersection with Reservoir Road around 9:19 a.m. on January 4, the Highway Patrol said. The vehicle continued down an embankment and into Wheatland Reservoir #1, becoming fully submerged with Garland inside.

Garland died at the scene, the WHP said.

Speed and a possible physical disability are being considered primary factors in the crash, according to the WHP, which is continuing its investigation.

This story was published on Jan. 9, 2026.