Man Killed in Wrong-Way Semitruck Collision on Highway 287 Near Laporte

A 21-year-old California man died January 24 when a wrong-way semitruck hit his vehicle head-on on U.S. 287 near Laporte, a collision that underscores persistent safety problems on the corridor between Fort Collins and Wyoming, where state data document frequent serious and fatal head-on crashes.

Cobey Giovanni Copeland Jr. of Yuba City, California, was pronounced dead at the scene at milepost 355. An autopsy performed January 26 by Dr. J. White at the Larimer County Forensic Sciences Center found the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries. The manner was ruled accidental.

Copeland was the front seat passenger in a vehicle struck by the semitruck traveling the wrong way, according to the Larimer County Coroner's Office.

A 2023 CDOT evaluation of U.S. 287 in Boulder County found that head-on collisions dominate serious and fatal crashes: "the majority of serious and fatal accidents were a result of vehicles crossing into oncoming traffic." The pattern mirrors the crash that killed Copeland.

CDOT data show 570 crashes over five years on the corridor, including 439 property-damage-only collisions, 116 injury crashes, and 15 fatal crashes. Nearly 900 trucks per day traverse some stretches, amplifying the risk of serious collisions.

The Colorado State Patrol is investigating the crash. How the semitruck entered the wrong lane and whether its driver faced charges remain unanswered. The Larimer County Coroner's Office directed questions about crash circumstances to the patrol.

CDOT and Larimer County have active improvement projects underway on U.S. 287 north of Fort Collins, including design work for passing lanes, shoulder widening, and intersection safety upgrades.