September 10, 2024 |
Photo – Crash scene – Courtesy Wyoming Highway Patrol
As Wyoming football fans traveled to Laramie on Saturday for the season’s home opener, a fatal crash involving two big rigs closed Interstate 80 for most of the day Saturday.
Around 9:30 am Saturday morning, two commercial trucks collided at mile marker 223 on Interstate 80, west of Walcott Junction. One vehicle caught on fire. According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, one of the truck drivers died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.
Highway patrol troopers determined that a red 2022 Freightliner Cascadia crossed over the right white line and struck the left rear corner of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the driver of the parked semi-truck was stopped while taking a legally mandated break.
Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Ryan Gerdes told Bigfoot99 that after striking the parked semi, the Freightliner jack-knifed and blocked both eastbound lanes of I80. The Freightliner became engulfed in flames and the driver succumbed to their injuries. The condition of the driver of the parked truck is unknown.
Wyoming Department of Transportation crews worked to put out the fire and clear the wreckage from the interstate. However, the extensive damage to the vehicles slowed progress.
The crash closed the eastbound lanes of I80 between Rawlins and Laramie for over nine hours. Social media posts say traffic was still backed up for roughly 16 miles several hours after the interstate reopened.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol acknowledges the assistance of our law enforcement, EMS and Fire partners on this incident. Troopers would also like to remind the public to stay alert and minimize distractions while driving.
