Police: Blizzard Conditions Contribute to Multi-Vehicle Crashes on Interstate 80 in Wyoming
At least six people were critically injured Thursday after a 45-vehicle pile-up on a snowy Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Speeds too fast for the blizzard conditions and loss of control are being investigated as contributing factors in the crashes that caused a "domino"-style chain reaction after the first couple of vehicles lost control, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said on its Facebook page.
Sixteen people were transported by ambulance and 11 others were taken by school bus to the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, the Highway Patrol said. Between 11 a.m. and noon MDT Thursday, it was snowing between Cheyenne and Laramie with visibility down to one-quarter mile, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Mike Doll said. "Temperatures were between 29 and 32 degrees," Doll said. "Winds were out of the north, which is a cross wind along that stretch of I-80, with gusts as high as 40 mph."
There were three separate crash scenes, which occurred around 11:20 a.m. MDT Thursday, according to authorities. The eastbound lanes of the interstate from Cheyenne to Rawlins remained closed Friday morning, the Wyoming Department of Transportation reported on its website. In addition to the highway patrol, Laramie County Sheriff's Office, Albany County Sheriff's Office, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, Laramie County and City of Laramie firefighters and Wyoming National Guard First Responders assisted at the scene.
At least six people were critically injured Thursday after a 45-vehicle pile-up on a snowy Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Speeds too fast for the blizzard conditions and loss of control are being investigated as contributing factors in the crashes that caused a "domino"-style chain reaction after the first couple of vehicles lost control, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said on its Facebook page.
Sixteen people were transported by ambulance and 11 others were taken by school bus to the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, the Highway Patrol said. Between 11 a.m. and noon MDT Thursday, it was snowing between Cheyenne and Laramie with visibility down to one-quarter mile, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Mike Doll said. "Temperatures were between 29 and 32 degrees," Doll said. "Winds were out of the north, which is a cross wind along that stretch of I-80, with gusts as high as 40 mph."
There were three separate crash scenes, which occurred around 11:20 a.m. MDT Thursday, according to authorities. The eastbound lanes of the interstate from Cheyenne to Rawlins remained closed Friday morning, the Wyoming Department of Transportation reported on its website. In addition to the highway patrol, Laramie County Sheriff's Office, Albany County Sheriff's Office, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, Laramie County and City of Laramie firefighters and Wyoming National Guard First Responders assisted at the scene.
