Last month’s tragic pileup near Green River, Wyoming, which resulted in three fatalities, was initiated by a pickup truck that lost control and collided with a guardrail just outside a tunnel exit, according to federal investigators. The Valentine’s Day crash occurred on a section of Interstate 80 and involved a combination of tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles, resulting in injuries to twenty individuals.
According to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a 2006 Toyota Tundra lost control as it exited the two-lane tunnel. Snow had fallen earlier that day, and ice or slush may have still been present at the exit, despite the clear weather conditions at the time of the 11:33 a.m. accident. The Toyota, moving in the left lane, veered left and struck a metal guardrail, eventually coming to rest 150 feet later. It then obstructed the right lane of westbound traffic and partially blocked the left lane, according to the report.
A 2024 Peterbilt semi following the Toyota hit the inside left wall of the tunnel but managed to avoid the pickup. The Peterbilt driver subsequently pulled over to the right shoulder. A 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee also hit the guardrail and, like the Peterbilt, avoided the Toyota. It skidded across both lanes of traffic and came to a stop on the hillside above the right shoulder.
Unfortunately, the next vehicles were not as fortunate. Farther back in the tunnel, a 2020 Volvo semi in the right lane jackknifed in response to the situation in front of it. The Volvo stopped 200 feet short of the tunnel’s exit, blocking both lanes. A 2020 Dodge Ram pickup carrying four people in the left lane then collided with the Volvo tractor. That pickup was then “overrun” by a 2019 Freightliner semi, which, carrying the Dodge, plowed through the Volvo tractor and out of the tunnel, striking both the Toyota pickup and the rear of the Peterbilt’s trailer. Following this, additional vehicles collided inside the tunnel, igniting a fire that produced black smoke, causing traffic to back up within the tunnel and beyond its entrance.
A semi driver, unable to escape their cab, perished in the fire. Two occupants of the Dodge pickup also died from their injuries.
The NTSB report did not specify the total number of vehicles involved. However, the Wyoming Highway Patrol previously estimated that 26 vehicles were involved, including 10 passenger vehicles and 16 commercial trucks. The state agency also reported that six commercial vehicles and two passenger vehicles were completely destroyed by the fire.
The speed limit within the tunnel had been reduced the night before the crash from 65 mph to 55 mph due to adverse weather conditions.
Following the crash, both directions of travel on I-80 were diverted through the town of Green River while investigators removed the charred vehicles from the westbound bore. The eastbound lanes were reopened three days later, handling both directions of traffic separated by jersey barriers. This arrangement remains in effect. On March 17, Wyoming Department of Transportation personnel and contractors initiated cleanup and began assessing the damage to the tunnel’s concrete and support structure. Both sides of the tunnel are 1,138 feet in length. It was built in 1966 and does not have a sprinkler or fire suppression system.
The NTSB is continuing its investigation of the Green River incident “with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events,” as stated in its preliminary report.
