The first significant snowfall of the winter season caused hours of chaos on Interstate 80 on Sunday. At least five semitrailers and at least as many passenger vehicles were involved in multiple crashes along the same stretch of highway between Lyman and Little America.
"We got the call about the initial incident at 11:41 a.m.," said Eric Quinney, chief administrative officer for Uinta County Fire and Ambulance. "Everything was cleared up and I-80 reopened at approximately 7:30 p.m."
At least five people were transported to Evanston Regional Hospital for treatment of injuries.
"One person was transported to Salt Lake City, Utah, for significant but non-life-threatening injuries," Quinney said. "I believe everybody else was treated and released yesterday."
The multi-vehicle incidents are a reminder that winter has come to Wyoming. Road conditions can quickly deteriorate, leading to black ice and dangerous driving conditions.
"We were incredibly lucky on this," said Aaron Brown, the Wyoming Highway Patrol's public information officer. "Highway speeds, whiteout conditions, a major pile-up, and the worst injury was a broken arm. We were very, very lucky that it wasn't worse."
Out Of One, Many
The initial crash happened around 11:30 a.m. The problematic spot was a hill between mile markers 52 and 53 between Lyman and Little America.
"The westbound lane reached the crest of the hill at mile marker 51," Quinney said. "The initial incident involved a semi lying on its side, blocking the road."
Brown said the first semi lost control going downhill on I-80 westbound. It flipped onto its side as it tried to regain control, blocking both lanes.
After the initial incident, there was a "chain reaction" of collisions going up the hill. Drivers reached the crest of the hill, saw the accident, and tried to stop on the ice-covered highway.
"Another semi tried to slow down as he came to the scene of the crash, and a third semi rear-ended him," Brown said. "From there, it was a chain reaction of multiple vehicles rear-ending each other."
The other incidents included rear-end collisions and semi-trucks that drove into the median to avoid the accumulating traffic. Brown didn't have the exact numbers but estimated that between 14 and 20 vehicles were involved in the multiple incidents before it was over.
Snow continued to accumulate as first responders attended to the injured people and damaged vehicles. Temperatures were in the mid-20s, making it even colder with the wind chill.
Brown said the westbound lanes of I-80 were closed for around four hours Sunday as first responders worked to clear the highway. Traffic was backed up for "about 11 miles."
It was an all-hands-on-deck response for Uinta County Fire and Ambulance.
Quinney estimated that between 18 and 20 personnel from his team were on-site, including all three of the Bridger Valley Fire Department's ambulances stationed in Lyman.
"That was max capacity for that side of the county," he said. "We would have requested assistance from Evanston or Green River if it were a larger scale, but we were able to handle it locally."
Stuck And Surrounded
Evanston resident Wayne Andersen, 72, was heading home after enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with his family in Sheridan. He was 2 miles west of Little America when he saw the traffic ahead had stopped.
"It was about 2:30 p.m. when I had to stop," he told Cowboy State Daily. "I had no way of knowing the traffic in front of me was going down a hill, because I could not see more than about four or five semi-trucks in front of me."
Within 30 minutes, the traffic behind Andersen stretched as far as he could see in his rear-view mirror. He knew he wasn't going anywhere for a while.
"I was totally oblivious to what was going on around me, because I was on the inside lane, totally surrounded by semi-trucks," he said. "We'd notice somebody would start moving in front of us, so we'd start up our cars, move maybe 200 feet, and come to another stop, where we'd sit for another hour before we moved again."
Andersen said he stopped at mile marker 57, putting him within a few miles of where everything was happening. He didn't realize it at the time, as the snow was falling and it soon became too dark to see anything.
With freezing temperatures and wind outside, Andersen elected to keep his vehicle running "for about half the time" he was stuck. Fortunately, he had the foresight to fill up his gas tank in Rawlins before commencing on the final stretch home.
"I typically don't do that," he said. "Fortunately, I decided to renew my cup of coffee."
Brown commended Andersen for gassing up. He recommends all Wyomingites do the same, especially in winter.
"You don't want to be traveling anywhere in Wyoming with less than a half a tank of gas," he said.
It usually takes Andersen around 7.5 hours to get from Sheridan to Evanston. On Sunday, it took 11 hours, including about three hours stuck on I-80.
Be Prepared
Quinney said the response to the incidents was delayed by the same factors that caused them. Even as they cleared I-80, the snow kept falling, and the wind kept blowing.
"Getting everything cleaned up in the weather conditions we had was challenging," he said.
Andersen admitted that he wasn't equipped for a prolonged stop during a winter weather highway closure.
The Wyoming Department of Transportation recommends Wyomingites keep an "emergency kit" of supplies, including food and warm clothing, just in case they get trapped on a highway in winter.
"I had no food, blankets, or emergency prep in my car," he said.
His greater concern was oxygen. Andersen has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and requires oxygen to keep himself healthy.
"Fortunately, I had plenty of oxygen tanks with me to keep me supplied," he said. "If I didn't, it certainly would have raised my anxiety level."
The incident was more dull than dire for Andersen. He passed the time by calling his daughters, listening to the radio, and hoping everyone responding to the crashes were safe.
"I sat wondering about what problems some people who were in that mess were having," he said. "Families with small children, no bathrooms, people were short on gasoline, whether they were going to be able to make it to the next stop.
"I was also concerned whether or not ambulance services could get through, because it was backed up for a long way."
For one family, that day was a dire situation.
Oregon resident Katey Lopez was frantically seeking information about her sister, who was traveling from Oregon to Colorado when she was involved in one of the collisions.
"We got a Life360 notification that she had been in an accident," Lopez posted on social media. "We repeatedly called her, (but there was) no answer.
Lopez later confirmed that the Wyoming Highway Patrol found her sister, and she was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Anywhere, Anytime
Brown said the Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper believed the first semi-truck was probably "traveling too fast for conditions." That may have contributed to the incident, but he wasn't aware of any citations or charges filed against the driver.
The biggest takeaway, from Brown's perspective, is that Wyoming's winter weather is often hazardous and unpredictable. Drivers need to be prepared and stay informed when planning an extended drive, because they can't know what they'll encounter.
"We want people to slow down for the weather," he said. "There are times when you can look at the weather, and it could completely miss us or hit a lot worse than they were thinking. You never know what you're going to run into, even with the predictive weather models we have."
Brown also emphasized the importance of keeping a well-stocked emergency car kit. Sunday's incidents on I-80 are a perfect demonstration of what can happen in hazardous driving conditions, and winter's just getting started.
"People need to be prepared for the weather anytime, and be prepared for an extended stay," he said. "It's winter in Wyoming, and you need to be ready for winter anytime, because you don't know when it's going to hit."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
