JACKSON - A 26-year-old Georgia man was killed Thursday when his overweight tractor-trailer carrying potatoes apparently lost its brakes and overturned on the Wyoming side of Teton Pass.

Gary C. Stegal of Union City, Georgia, was traveling east on Hwy 22 when his van-type trailer failed to turn into the first runaway truck ramp and continued downhill with "heavy smoke coming from his overheated brakes," according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Stegal's truck was estimated to weigh between 78,000 and 80,000 pounds. There is a weight restriction of 60,000 pounds on Teton Pass.

Stegal failed to negotiate a left-hand curve in the road, and lost control of the vehicle. The tractor-trailer went off the roadway, over a bicycle path and into the trees.

The vehicle rolled at least once, WyDOT said, and Stegal, was ejected from the cab. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

The crash happened about 1.7 miles west of Wilson at 5:23 p.m., according to the department. Stegal was taken to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson where he was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Sergeant Stephen Townsend said this is the 52nd fatality on Wyoming roads this year.

During winter months, tractor trailers are prohibited from driving Teton Pass. Other tractor trailers, including others carrying potatoes, have crashed on Teton Pass in recent years.