Final Death Toll In Green River Tunnel Crash At 3, Cause Under Investigation

The final death toll of the Green River Tunnel 26-vehicle collision is three, Wyoming’s highway authorities announced Monday. 

Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) troopers do not expect additional fatalities beyond the three they have already confirmed, in what started as a crash just outside the westbound Green River Tunnel late Friday morning and ended in a pileup, fire and series of explosions. 

The WHP’s incident spokesman did not immediately respond to an inquiry about how many people remain hospitalized. 

“Our hearts are heavy with the loss of these three individuals and we mourn with their loved ones,” WHP Col. Tim Cameron says in a joint statement the WHP and Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) released Monday. “We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the families as they grieve. Details regarding the deceased will be shared when available.”

An off-duty WHP trooper was involved in the crash but wasn’t injured, says the statement. The trooper tried to help people flee the tunnel. He’s an “active witness” and can’t take interviews right now, says the statement. 

“Responding to calls like these weighs heavy on the hearts of first responders involved, and the WHP is here to support you,” said Cameron.

He offered his agency’s chaplains to speak with any first responder in need of support. 

Troopers will use the evidence they’ve gathered to reconstruct the crash digitally to determine narratives, causes and other details, says the statement. 

Construction crews are working to prepare the eastbound tunnel for two-way traffic. 

WYDOT’s contractor DeBernardi Construction of Rock Springs was placing concrete barriers between the lanes Monday when a Cowboy State Daily reporter was on scene. The speed limit when that reopens — perhaps as soon as Wednesday — will be 35 mph, according to the statement and a prior Cowboy State Daily interview with WYDOT Director Darin Westby. 

John Eddins, WYDOT District 3 engineer, said the agency has experience moving head-to-head traffic temporarily in the tunnels. 

“We see this as a safe solution to minimize traffic impacts to the community of Green River,” the statement quotes Eddins, adding, “but with the high traffic volumes on I-80, there will still be some delays for drivers.”

Green River’s Flaming Gorge Way is now handling the extra 18,000 vehicles per day that I-80 usually handles through that stretch. Water mains under that road break routinely, adding worries that the infrastructure cannot handle the strain, authorities said during a Saturday press conference. 

WYDOT is urging drivers to obey speed limits and traffic control. 

The two-way tunnel arrangement will have a 10.5-foot width restriction and 16-foot height restriction.

In the meantime, drivers should “take it slow” through Green River until the two-way tunnel is ready, the statement says. 

WHP troopers will be out monitoring; and people should also use caution with GPS navigations that could lead them astray, says the statement. 

State officials ask anyone with video or pictures of the crash to send them to grtunnelcrash@wyo.gov. 

The Feds

The National Transportation Safety Board is working with WHP and has opened a safety investigation into the crash, and the fire, says an NTSB statement. 

Ten NTSB investigators and personnel were on scene as of early Monday morning, says the statement. 

They're investigating the tunnel fires, motor carrier safety, and winter roadway treatment, it adds. 

The Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, WHP and WYDOT are also involved in the investigation, says the NTSB statement. 

NTSB investigators were documenting the crash scene Monday with a drone to map the roadway's approach and exit from the tunnel; investigators are examining the vehicles, interviewing people and obtaining documentation and maintenance records on the vehicles involved, says the statement.  

Part of the investigation will be to determine what vehicle-based electronic evidence (video and data) is available, as well as what other sources of information may be available such as videos from cellphone or security cameras, the statement adds. "We are still identifying these potential sources."

NTSB concluded by offering its own tip line: witness@ntsb.gov. 

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.