GREEN RIVER, Wyo. — A tragic series of collisions and a subsequent fire in a Wyoming highway tunnel claimed the lives of three individuals, according to a Wednesday statement from federal investigators. The incident began when a pickup truck lost control, partially obstructing traffic within the tunnel.
Snow had fallen prior to the February 14th crashes along Interstate 80, a vital east-west transportation artery traversing the state of Wyoming. The accidents occurred near Green River, a small town in the state’s southwest.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report detailing the events, stating that a westbound Toyota pickup exited the tunnel onto a slick roadway, possibly with ice or slush. The vehicle spun out of control, impacted a guardrail, and eventually came to a stop, effectively blocking the right lane and a portion of the left lane.
Attempting to avoid the initial Toyota, other vehicles approaching from within the tunnel became involved. A tractor-trailer jackknifed, obstructing both lanes approximately 200 feet before the tunnel’s exit, according to the report.
A Dodge pickup subsequently collided with the jackknifed tractor-trailer, leading to a further collision involving another tractor-trailer. This second tractor-trailer, entangled with the Dodge, struck the jackknifed vehicle again before impacting the Toyota and another truck situated outside the tunnel, the NTSB stated.
Two occupants of the Dodge pickup truck died as a consequence of the collisions. Furthermore, the operator of a tractor-trailer within the tunnel was trapped and perished in the ensuing fire, the NTSB reported.
Twenty additional individuals sustained injuries of varying severity, according to the NTSB. The multi-vehicle crash unfolded in the westbound tube of the twin tunnel system beneath Castle Rock, a prominent sandstone formation overlooking Green River.
