Another big pile-up on Interstate 80 in southeast Wyoming kept the highway closed in both directions on Friday.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol said the series of accidents involved over 27 vehicles — 23 of which were commercial trucks.
The accident occurred this morning at 10:18am in the eastbound lanes east of Laramie.
A highway patrolman pulled over to check on a commercial truck stuck in the roadway. As the trooper was speaking with the driver, another vehicle ran into the back of the stopped truck. This caused several other drivers to lose control of their vehicles and crash.
No fatalities have been reported from this pile-up but injured parties were taken to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie. Earlier this month, three people were killed when more than 100 vehicles were involved in a series of accidents on Interstate 80 near Wamsutter, Wyoming.
If the amount of closures seem high this year, you’re not imagining things.
The number of times the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) closes Interstates 80 varies each winter season, which is measured from October to May, but the 2019-2020 season has already broken five-year records, according to information provided by Luke Reiner, WYDOT director
“Our goal is not to close roads,” Reiner said. “Over 50 percent of the traffic on I-80 is heavy trucks, and 90 percent of those are passing through. When we close the roads, we inhibit the flow of those commodities.”
