Posted on: Wednesday, September 19, 2001

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Wyoming student charged in crash that killed eight

Associated Press

LARAMIE, Wyo. — The lone survivor of a wreck that killed eight members of the Wyoming men's cross country team was charged yesterday with vehicular homicide and being drunk at the time of the crash.

Clinton Haskins, a member of the university's rodeo team, was charged with eight counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. The complaint also charged Haskins was drunk but provided no specifics.

The Albany County Attorney's Office and police refused to comment.

Haskins faces up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted. Bond was set at $100,000. The aggravated nature of the charges is based on Haskins' alleged intoxication.

A court appearance was pending. Haskins, 21, of Maybell, Colo., was listed in fair condition at Ivinson Memorial Hospital. He suffered severe cuts, some internal damage and a concussion but no broken bones, his grandmother said.

"He's very emotional. We're all very emotional," Sally Haskins said. She also said her grandson was a careful driver with much experience traveling the rodeo circuit.

"He has driven miles and miles without an incident," she said. "I've ridden with him."

The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, when Haskins' pickup collided head-on with a sport-utility vehicle carrying eight members of the cross-country team returning from a non-school trip to Fort Collins, Colo.

Police say Haskins' southbound pickup appeared to have drifted into the oncoming lane on the two-lane highway.