A third person has been confirmed dead in Friday’s explosive multivehicle crash in the westbound lane of the Green River Tunnel, while efforts to clear the tunnel continue more than two days after the devastating collision in southwest Wyoming.
Two people outside the tunnel were confirmed dead early in the investigation, and Sunday afternoon the third was reported, along with an update on the scope of the huge crash that is believed to have involved 26 vehicles.
Of the vehicles involved, 16 were commercial and 10 passenger, the Wyoming Department of Transportation and Wyoming Highway Patrol report.
“Six commercial vehicles and two passenger vehicles were completely destroyed by the fire,” the report adds.
“WHP has cleared about half the vehicles involved in the tunnel fire, basically in the middle of the 1,200-foot tunnel,” the Sunday report says. “Last night, four passenger vehicles and nine commercial vehicles were removed from the crash site.”
The effort to clear the tunnel continues as state and contractors examine the extent of the damage to the tunnel, the agencies report.
“Through an emergency contracting process, the Wyoming Department of Transportation has contracted DeBernardi Construction to begin removing concrete barriers to the crossover lanes in preparation for guiding head-to-head (traffic) in the eastbound tunnel,” WYDOT and the WHP report. “WYDOT expects this to be in place by Wednesday.”
An Emotional Return
In the meantime, a Green River resident who barely escaped with her life from the fiery pileup describes the terrifying ordeal in a series of short video posts that offer one of the first looks inside the tunnel since the fatal crash.
In five videos she shared to her Facebook page Sunday, Andrea Domhoff describes the experience as authorities escorted her into the dark and charred interior of the tunnel in an attempt to retrieve her vehicle — to no avail.
Domhoff hadn’t responded to Cowboy State Daily attempts to reach her, but says she posted the videos “since I have so many asking.”
In the videos, an emotional and tearful Domhoff reflects on the near-death experience while walking into the tunnel toward her car, which appears to be one of the closest to the entrance.Â
Plainly visible is the scorched aftermath of an unprecedented highway accident.
On Sunday, Wyoming Highway Patrol Sgt. Jason Roascio told Cowboy State Daily that an around-the-clock response has worked to clear the vehicles from the tunnel.
Roascio said that in addition to the fatalities, a least two more people are confirmed hurt, but offered no timeline on the release of a final injury and fatality report. Attempts to reach the Sweetwater County coroner for information were unsuccessful.
Fleeing From Explosions
Domhoff’s videos show abandoned pickup trucks burnt and smothered in grey soot, a wrecked semitrailer just behind and to the right of her car and other vehicles farther back.
“That’s where the explosion was, and this is my car,” she says in one video, gasping through tears while indicating an explosion came from the box trailer of an 18-wheeler that was less than 150 feet behind her.
She describes being unable to see as she fled the tunnel in panic during the aftermath of the crash, dragging her arms along the concrete wall to help navigate her escape as explosions sounded behind her.
“I ran my arms along the wall to get out. I couldn’t see anything … and then it was exploding every few minutes behind,” she says.
Retracing her steps, the video shows burnt and peeling sections of the tunnel interior. Her car appears to be around a football field’s distance from the tunnel exit, where debris is piled down the length of the highway guardrail.
 “That’s The Guy Who Saved My Life’
In one video, Domhoff is talking with her police escort off-camera, who points to a car and asks her if it belongs to a man named Ray.Â
Dumhoff responds, “That is Ray’s! That’s the guy who saved my life right there.”
In another video she addresses the close-up damage of her car, an orange-colored Jeep SUV, in which she was “hit twice.” The car is peppered with a black, tar-like material.Â
“Oh my god,” she says. “Oh, it’s toast. That is totaled.”
Massive Response
For now, a massive response and recovery effort continues at the tunnel, Roascio said. It’s a small army of people working aggressively from the west side of the tunnel toward the east side, he said.
“As far as you can look, you can see green reflective jackets,” Roascio said, noting the unofficial uniform of the multiagency recovery team.Â
Among others, principals on scene are the Green River Fire Department, Wyoming Highway Patrol Crash Team, Wyoming Department of Transportation, the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office, The National Transportation Safety Board and myriad private wrecking crews.Â
The teams are being supported by donations from local community members and the American Red Cross.
“The community from both inside and outside of the Green River area have been really supportive with donations of food and snacks,” Roascio said. “The outpouring of support for all of our first responders has been great. We really appreciate that.”
In the meantime, accounts of those involved or close to the crash continue to come out, like the harrowing and graphic video and description from a trucker who narrowly escaped.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
