John Wiberg II
Reno Gazette-Journal
May 12,2004
Washoe Deputy dies in crash on U.S. 395
A 38-year-old Washoe County sheriff’s deputy answering an armed robbery call was killed in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning after he lost control of his cruiser on a wet and snowy stretch of U.S. 395, authorities said.
Deputy John Wiberg II was working his usual graveyard shift when he was dispatched just after 2 a.m. to investigate a robbery at Dottie’s Casino in Lemmon Valley.
The 14-year deputy left the regional dispatching center and headed north on U.S. 395. Treacherous conditions from a late spring snowstorm caused Wiberg to lose control of his car, slide across the highway and crash into a southbound van near the Panther Valley exit, Nevada Highway Patrol troopers said.
The husband and father of four was pronounced dead at 3:43 a.m. at Washoe Medical Center. He is the 100th peace officer to die in the line of duty in Nevada since the 1800s, according to historians.
The driver of the van, Nguyet Thi Vo, 36, of Reno, suffered head injuries and was in stable condition at Washoe Medical Center, troopers said. She was alone in the vehicle. The crash was reported about 2:20 a.m. by a witness who said a deputy was involved. Wiberg’s speed is still under investigation.
Sheriff Dennis Balaam said it took emergency personnel more than 30 minutes to extricate Wiberg, whose cruiser had extensive damage. Troopers said Wiberg, who wore his seat belt, crossed the center median into Vo’s path. The front of her van struck the driver’s side of the cruiser. His emergency lights had not been activated.
“The weather definitely played a major part in this accident,” Balaam said. “I doubt if the minivan driver ever saw him coming.”
Wiberg leaves his wife, Dena, and their four daughters, ages 4, 6, 8 and 12. Funeral arrangements are pending and a memorial fund has been established for the Sparks family.
“John was a fun-loving guy who started (in law enforcement) young,” Balaam said. “He was a cowboy, then married early in his career and had four daughters…
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