Three Students Lost: University of Wyoming Community Grieves

Three Students Lost: How the University of Wyoming Community Is Grieving, Remembering, and Responding

There are moments that shake a community so deeply that everyday life feels different afterward — slower, heavier, more reflective. For the University of Wyoming (UW) community, such a moment arrived with the heartbreaking news that three students had died in a single vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 287 in rural northern Colorado.

They were more than athletes and classmates. They were friends, neighbors, teammates — young lives with futures ahead of them. Their loss has left the UW community and beyond grappling with grief, memory, and important questions about safety and support.

This blog post reflects on what happened, who those students were, how the community is responding, and the larger impact of such a tragedy.

The Accident That Changed Everything

On the afternoon of February 22, 2024, a Toyota RAV4 carrying five members of the University of Wyoming’s swimming and diving team was traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 287, about 10 miles south of the Wyoming–Colorado border.

According to the Colorado State Patrol, the vehicle veered off the left shoulder of the road, rolled multiple times, and tragically resulted in the deaths of three of the passengers. Two others in the vehicle, both also team members, were hospitalized with injuries that were later reported as non‑life‑threatening.

Authorities said the students were not believed to be traveling for an official team event at the time. Investigations into the exact cause — including whether speed, distraction, or other factors played a role — were ongoing.

Remembering Charlie, Luke, and Carson

The names of the three students who lost their lives have since been publicly identified by the University of Wyoming, and they were mourned not just as athletes but as vibrant individuals whose presence enriched campus life:

Charlie Clark, 19 — a sophomore psychology major from Las Vegas and a member of the men’s swimming team.

Luke Slabber, 21 — a junior studying construction management from Cape Town, South Africa, also on the men’s team.

Carson Muir, 18 — a freshman on the women’s team and an animal and veterinary sciences major from Birmingham, Alabama.

Friends and teammates described them as dedicated, kind, fun‑loving, and deeply cared for by their peers. At a memorial held shortly after the accident, people shared stories that highlighted not only their athletic promise but their generosity, humor, and supportive spirits — traits that made the tragedy all the more devastating to the UW community.

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