A second pile up in five days took place on Interstate 80 yesterday when between 21 and 40 vehicles wrecked 15 miles west of Laramie in dense fog around 8 a.m.
One fatality has been confirmed, along with 16 injuries, which were taken to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie. The primary cause of the wreck was people traveling at too fast a speed for the conditions, Patrol Lt. Tim Romig told the AP.
The vehicles included a 22,000-gallon tanker containing flammable liquids, requiring emergency responders to use foam to subdue the flames. Highway Patrol Sgt. David Wagener told the Associated Press the fire burned for hours and delayed the clean up and investigation.
The interstate closed on Thursday after a wreck 18 miles west of Cheyenne when two commercial trucks crashed, causing over 70 vehicles to pile up in the blinding snowstorm. I-80 closed until Saturday while crews attempted to clean up and conduct their investigation. Plows were unable to clear the clean up section of the highway, and continued snowfall built up until it was too heavy to plow. WYDOT reports a rotary plow was required, along with additional plows from Casper and trucks from Pine Bluffs.
Officials told the Casper Star-Tribune that I-80 could expect another long closure.
