News
Truck Gets Stuck On US Highway 14A At Seasonal Closure Area
Published
2 years agoon
US Highway 14A in the Big Horn Mountains is still closed for the season, and one truck driver found out the hard way.
According to WYDOT, sometime during the weekend (April 21st-23rd), a truck driver was driving a vehicle westbound on 14A, somehow got around the road closure gate near Burgess Junction and proceeded to drive on the 22-mile section of closed highway.
The driver made it to the Crystal Creek rest area which is just on the other side of the seasonal closure area, before getting into trouble, tried to turn around and got stuck.
Cody Beers is the public information officer for the Northwest District of WYDOT.
He says it is unknown if the driver was using a GPS device, and if it was used, that section of highway is not a good area for someone to rely on that technology.
“Don’t depend on your GPS, because programs inside your vehicles are going to lead you astray if you don’t cross check with good websites like wyoroad.info. Know before you go and I’m sure that truck drove by a sign that said ‘road closed ahead’ and pay attention to those signs.”
WYDOT snowplows crews normally don’t reopen the seasonal closure area of US Highway 14A to motor vehicle traffic until around Memorial Day.
That section of highway is normally closed during the winter, because too much snow in the area, combined with too little traffic, make snow plowing efforts impractical.
John Barnes
April 25, 2023 at 5:05 pm
I am a truck driver who lives in Sheridan and has been traveling over the Bighorns for 25 years. If that driver went around that gate and the signs that say CLOSED there is no sympathy here.
Bobbi Haley
May 16, 2023 at 6:56 pm
Not sure how far you want to take this article. As part owner of Jr’s towing and repair in Greybull. Our company was personally contacted by tod trucking company to retrieve the stuck truck. After being paid via credit card, the trucking company is now claiming fraud and all the charges have since been refunded back to the company. We are fighting like no other to get our money back, but time will tell. So much for being nice, next time they can stay stuck.!