In re Estate of Minney

The opinion of the court was delivered by This case is the outgrowth of a tragic head-on collision occurring on an east-west graveled highway in Rawlins County. Four young persons were killed in the accident. The date was June 28, 1971, the hour, approximately 7:45 p.m. A unique set of coincidences attended the accident. The eastbound car, a 1964 Plymouth (or Dodge), was driven by Robert W. Haynes. He had two passengers in the back seat of the car, his 15 year-old cousin, Connie Coleen Kidder, and Gail Ferguson, her friend. They were going to a swimming party at the Reeves farm. On their way they stopped at the Higley farm to pick up Lyn Higley. Lyn, who had been driving a tractor that day for Don Jumper, had to return a pickup to the Jumper farm which was about a mile east of Higley's. Lyn started out first, followed by Robert Haynes and his two passengers. Following Robert, came Mrs. Higley, on her way to attend a meeting in Atwood. At about the time the three-car caravan left the Higley farm, a 1970 Ford Thunderbird automobile driven by Doris Dianne Minney, familiarly known as DD, with Lisa Briney as a passenger, was heading west on the same road. DD had phoned Mrs. Higley that morning about taking vocal lessons. She said she was going to Colby and would stop and talk with her later that day. Sometime after 4 p.m. she called again and said it would be a little later than she had planned because her friend needed to pick up some groceries in Colby. Mrs. Higley did not tell DD about her evening meeting in Atwood but thought she could stop her on the road and talk to her. That talk, alas, was not to be.