A multi-vehicle crash at a Wyoming highway tunnel took the lives of several people on Friday, February 14. There is no information regarding the exact number of deaths or the identities of the deceased or injured. However, The Associated Press reports at least two deaths and five injured at the Green River Tunnel.
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According to the
Wyoming Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at the Green River Tunnel on I-80 at milepost 90.2. Troopers arrived at the scene at 11:37 a.m. Several hours after the incident took place, the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office advised people to avoid the area, as traffic was being diverted at the time. Neither Highway Patrol nor the Sheriff's Office have made an update regarding the tunnel since.Images of the scene show several trailers being stuck at the entrance of the Green River Tunnel. A giant black smoke can be seen leaving the tunnel. Green River resident Jennifer Lynn Carr described hearing a boom followed by black smoke coming from the tunnel. Moreover, witnesses recall hearing multiple explosions afterward. According to Cowboy State Daily, these can be explained as tires exploding due to the extreme heat.
Steve Core, communications administrator for Wyoming, talked with Cowboy State Daily and described the incident as "sad."
"I got to tell you, I moved here in 1985, and to see what I saw today was just — it was sad," Core said. "You knew when you saw smoke billowing out of one side, and smoke billowing out of the other side, you knew it was not good."
Accident Details
Core confirmed that the tunnel had not collapsed, but that structural integrity concerns meant that no one could get close to the fire. John Eddins, district engineer for the Wyoming Department of Transportation District 3, couldn't provide any details surrounding the number of deaths or the cause of the incident.
Contrasting information reported by the outlet reveals that Senator John Kolb stated that the accident at the tunnel caused it to collapse. Kolb added that the incident took place after oil belonging to a semi-truck hauling transformers caught fire.
Core added that this incident will affect the lives of Green River residents. However, it is quite early to understand how much.
"The city is very sorrowful for what happened," Core added. "It's a bad deal, it's a really bad deal. ... I've lived here a long time, and seeing that was very discouraging, saddening. It was like, 'Oh my God, this is really happening.'"
The
Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater Country initially provided emergency care exclusively to those affected by the incident. Two hours after announcing the said measure, the hospital resumed its normal operations.
