Erin Mills was driving from Casper to Riverton on Friday afternoon when she found herself just behind a devastating multivehicle crash involving a semitruck that killed two people.
She stopped, “thinking I was waiting on the pilot car since they were doing construction,” she wrote in response to a Facebook post about the crash by the Wyoming Department of Transportation District 5. “People started turning around (and) I was about 7 cars behind the wreck.”
Mills said that it appeared that “a huge tanker plowed into what I thought was about 6 cars,” she wrote. “I have never seen such a terrible accident. I am praying so hard for all involved and their families.
“I was sick to my stomach all night.”
Krista Nethercott, an owner with Grand Teton Funeral Home in Jackson, told Cowboy State Daily that at first she thought traffic had stopped for construction.
She soon learned that wasn't the case.
"When I got out of the vehicle I saw cars on both sides of the road," she said. "I’m a funeral director and mortician, so I decided to run up to make sure someone had contacted authorities. I also wanted to help with anyone who might have needed medical assistance."
Nethercott said that she observed that one person was deceased when she got there "and a woman barely had a pulse. I knew she wasn't going to make it because it was going to take EMS and ambulances too long to get to her.
"No amount of CPR or medical attention probably could have saved her."
She added that she saw a child in a car seat, but didn't elaborate on the condition of the child.
She also described a scene where a number of people sprang into action in the aftermath of the crash.
"A man ran up who said he worked at a pediatric clinic (I thought I heard him say he was a doctor)," Nethercott added. "He was trying to help the child’s dad assess the child."
She helped people who had camping chairs set them up for survivors of the crash to use and gave them some bottled water she had in her car because, "It was a very long wait for the medical team to get out there."
Noting that the crash was really "in the middle of nowhere," Nethercott said she's still amazed more people didn't die.
"It was the worst accident I’ve witnessed, and I’m totally shocked more people didn’t perish in this accident," she said.
'Very Chaotic'
The Natrona County Fire District released a statement late Sunday morning describing the scene as "very chaotic."
The agency said there were many damaged vehicles, a large debris field, multiple victims, and a large bystander presence.
"In all, there were 17 people directly involved," the statement reads. "There were two fatalities, eight patients transported to Banner WyMC in Casper, six by ground ambulance and two by air ambulance."
The agency also called out the actions of the people at the scene who helped those hurt in the crash.
"Crews would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the bystanders who assisted victims immediately after the crash, while waiting for help to arrive," the statement says. "The true spirit of the 'Wyoming Way' was in full force this day."
The Wyoming Highway Patrol or WYDOT hasn't yet reported any other details about the crash other than confirming the two fatalities, "numerous injuries" and that the "crash involved a semitruck and a handful of vehicles."
Highway Closed
Just before 2:50 p.m. Friday, the Wyoming Department of Transportation issued an urgent alert: U.S. Highway 20/26 was closed in both directions near Hiland after the catastrophic crash involving a semitruck and multiple passenger vehicles.
For motorists headed between Casper and Riverton on Friday afternoon, the highway suddenly became a parking lot. The highway was closed for nearly 12 hours before it was reopened after 2 a.m. Saturday.
By the time emergency crews arrived on the scene, dark thunderstorm clouds were rolling across central Wyoming, Casper resident Chris Turk told Cowboy State Daily.
Turk said he had been returning from a service call in Riverton when traffic ground to a halt near the crest of a hill only a short distance from the wreck.
"We were following the pilot car through," Turk said. "It happened right on top of that hill. I wasn't far enough over the top to actually see what was going on."
He said law enforcement arrived within minutes, followed shortly by a medical helicopter.
Then the weather changed.
"A crazy storm just came in out of nowhere," Turk said. "The wind was rocking that camper that was in front of me. I honestly didn't think they'd be able to take off."
Instead, the helicopter lifted off after only about 10 minutes on the ground, carrying one of the injured before the storm intensified.
"I was impressed," Turk said about the response. "The pilot knew what he was doing."
Turk said conflicting reports quickly spread among stranded motorists about how many vehicles were involved.
"The only thing that seemed to have matched up was two people died," he said.
By Sunday, the Wyoming Highway Patrol had not released an official statement detailing how the collision happened, how many vehicles were involved, or the total number of people injured.
According to the agency’s online fatality crash summary, Friday’s crash represents the 55th and 56th deaths on Wyoming roads so far this year. That’s up from the 51 people killed on state roadways through the same time in 2025.
As investigators worked to determine exactly what happened, Turk said he was left with the same thought shared by many motorists stranded on the highway that afternoon.
"I hope everybody's OK,” he said.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com and Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
