Double Fatality.

The first double fatality I worked as a rooky Patrolman happened in the fall just before it got cold. Two young boys about fourteen years old were riding a small motorcycle together on a two lane paved road near Farson late one night. They crossed the opposite lane of travel in front of a five axle tractor trailer, the driver never saw them and they both were killed when the truck ran over them. I arrived at the scene shortly after the collision took place to find the poor truck driver beside himself with grief that he had killed the two boys.

A cursory look at the scene of the collision showed me that it had not been his fault, but the driver was almost beyond consolation in his giref. The county coroner arrived at the scene and between he and I it was concluded that the driver was not at fault and subsequently no charges were filed against him. Luckily I did not have to remove the bodies from the scene, but before I could go home that night I had to travel to the mortuary in Rock Springs and there examine the bodies of the two boys. When I arrived at the mortuary, the mortician Pete V. was embalming them which was a traumatic sight for me. I had seen embalmings previously, but these two boys were both blond headed as was my son and about the same age.

When I was shown the damage to their bodies and took a few pictures I left and made the long sad trek back to my home in Farson. I arrived home, went into my son's room and hugged him for a long time while he slept, thankful that he was alive and well and hurting deeply for the parents of the boys that were killed. Deaths of children such as these were the most difficult thing to deal with as a Patrolman and it was never an easy thing with which to live.