A former East Tennessee man now living in Utah is facing five counts of aggravated homicide following a wrong-way crash Sunday evening in Wyoming that killed five Arkansas youths who were returning home from a bible college visit.
According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, 57-year-old Arthur Andrew Nelson was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 near Rawlins, Wyoming just before 7:00 Sunday evening. Nelson’s Dodge Ram pickup collided with a tractor-trailer and a car, and the driver of a second tractor-trailer attempted to avoid the wreck by driving into the median.
The second truck crossed the median into the eastbound lanes of the interstate and collided head-on with a Ford F-150 pickup, causing both vehicles to burst into flames. All five occupants of the Ford truck were killed in the crash, while the driver of the tractor-trailer sustained serious burns and was flown for treatment.
The victims were between the ages of 18 and 23 and were returning to Arkansas from a visit to Jackson Hole Bible College when the crash occurred. Two of the dead youths were sisters, according to reports. Several other motorists involved in the initial collision sustained minor injuries.
Nelson is being held on $500,000 bond in the Carbon County jail on charges that include DUI, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and driving on a suspended license. Nelson reportedly also admitted to having taken methamphetamine the day before the wreck.
Nelson previously resided in Johnson City and Limestone before moving to West Jordan, Utah. Nelson reportedly told authorities that he was returning to Tennessee when the wreck occurred.
