Eyewitness accounts sought for investigation

A motorcycle crash closed U.S. Highway 14-A for more than 30 minutes on Tuesday morning. While traffic was stopped, a helicopter landed on the highway between Powell and Cody and evacuated the injured motorcyclist.

The wreck occurred just before 8:30 a.m., and the highway was closed for about 30 to 45 minutes, Trooper Rodney Miears said Wednesday.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol is still investigating exactly what happened. The motorcycle, driven by Michael Newton of Cody, crashed near Road 19.

When asked whether the wreck involved another vehicle, Miears said that remains unclear.

“As to how he got onto the asphalt, that is still under investigation,” Miears said.

The trooper said he welcomes tips from people who were in the area and witnessed the crash. Miears said he has three witness accounts from different times of the crash.

“However, I need more information,” he said, adding that during an investigation “you can’t get enough information.”

Witnesses are asked to call the Wyoming Highway Patrol Dispatch at 307-777-4321 and ask for Trooper Miears.

Newton, who is in his mid-50s, was flown to a Billings hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit, Miears said Wednesday. Newton was not wearing a helmet.

“The driver is coherent,” Miears said. “As to how full of a recovery he’s going to make, of course, you know, that’s still up in the air. But he is incredibly lucky — especially not wearing any protective gear.”

The trooper encouraged motorcyclists to always wear a helmet. For those who don’t wear helmets, he hopes they don’t say, “Well, he lived through it, so can I.”

“I hope people don’t get that impression,” Miears said. “Because the odds when you do that are not in your favor.”