Tragedy at the tunnels

On the morning of Valentine's Day, the community of Green River was rocked when citizens looked outside and saw thick black smoke billowing out of the I-80 tunnel. 

A pile-up accident involving over two dozen vehicles led to a fire inside the westbound tunnel on Interstate 80, leaving three dead and several injured. While the tunnel itself did not sustain structural damage and is not in danger of collapsing, according to officials, the concrete lining inside was significantly damaged, and it is unknown how long repairs will take or when the tunnel will be reopened. Interstate traffic was re-routed through Green River for several days, and is planned to be moved to head-to-head traffic through the eastbound tunnel for the foreseeable future.

The crash occurred at 11:37 a.m. on Friday, February 14 at mile marker 90.2 westbound on I-80, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). Wyoming Highway Patrol reported that they believe 26 vehicles were involved in the event in total, with 10 passenger vehicles and 16 commercial vehicles. Six commercial vehicles and two passenger vehicles were completely destroyed by the fire.

Local and state first responders and law enforcement quickly responded to the scene, including Green River Fire Department, Green River Police Department, Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office, Castle Rock Ambulance Service, Fire District No. 1, Rock Springs Fire Department, Sweetwater Combined Communications, Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) and WYDOT.

"Once we came on scene there we came across several vehicles involved in that westbound lane, along with an active fire which prevented some of the lifesaving measures there that we could do at that time until fire conditions could improve," WHP Major James Thomas explained during a press conference about the accident.

First responders did as much as they could to remove victims from the scene and get traffic shut down, working from both ends of the tunnel, Major Thomas said. Castle Rock Ambulance Service helped evaluate victims and transport them to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. Ambulance Director Kim White explained that they assessed 18 patients at the scene and transported 14.

"Most of the people that we transported had smoke inhalation and of course some very serious injuries," White reported during the Feb. 18 Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners meeting. "The devastation that was up there was shocking."

Sweetwater Memorial ended up treating a total of 18 injuries from the crash, according to a WYDOT press release. After the accident occurred, the hospital put out a press release explaining that staff were responding to a "mass casualty incident" and that they were "working to provide immediate care to those affected." The hospital asked other residents who were not involved in the accident to refrain from visiting the hospital unless it was an emergency. At 4:35 p.m., the hospital posted an update that they were "back to normal operations."

Two fatalities were confirmed on the day of the accident, with a third confirmed on Sunday after first responders and WHP worked to clear vehicles from the tunnel. On Tuesday, the WHP and Sweetwater County Coroner released the names of those who lost their lives in the accident. Christopher Johnson, 20, of Rawlins; Quentin Romero, 22, of Rawlins; and Harmanjeet Singh, 30, of Nova Scotia, Canada, succumbed to their injuries on scene.

After victims were cleared from the scene on Friday, first responders continued to do what they could to address the active fire inside the tunnel.

"Then it became the firefighting effort, which was an extended operation," WHP Major Thomas said. "That operation went well into the evening."

On Friday evening, conditions were still unsafe for responders and investigators to go into the tunnel, Thomas explained, largely because of structural concerns but also due to the smoke levels and air quality.

By Saturday, after first responders worked through the night to fight the fire, WYDOT reported that the WHP Crash Investigation Team had arrived on scene, and WHP and local wrecker companies were working to clear damaged and abandoned vehicles out of the tunnel. 

On Saturday at noon, a press conference was hosted to give updates on the accident and the response efforts. Governor Mark Gordon and WYDOT Director Darin Westby traveled to Green River to attend the press conference. Governor Gordon had announced on Friday afternoon following the accident that he was "working with state agencies to closely monitor" the situation and that state agencies and personnel had deployed resources "to support all efforts to resolve any and all issues resulting from the accident and to support those impacted by the tragedy."

At the press conference, Gordon acknowledged what a devastating incident the crash was, and thanked all the first responders. Director Westby echoed that thanks before introducing other WYDOT and WHP representatives to give more detailed updates on the situation.

WHP Major Thomas gave details from the incident, and explained that WHP had started their investigation. He noted that the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is assisting, and that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be conducting a parallel investigation.

"It's really going to be a long process just because of the level of the magnitude of the incident," Thomas said.

Thomas also noted that while "there are videos floating around" from people who were close to or involved in the accident, those videos can both provide information and potentially be misleading. He explained that the full investigation will be needed in order to determine a clearer and more consistent explanation of what happened.

Randy Ringstmeyer, a principal engineer for WYDOT and a bridge and tunnel inspector, spoke during the press conference to give more details about the extent of the damage to the tunnel. A full assessment of the eastbound tunnel was conducted on Friday night to make sure it would be safe, and no anomalies or issues were found, Ringstmeyer reported. Crews were able to get partway into the westbound tunnel on Saturday morning to begin initial assessments.

"We noticed there was extensive fire damage in about the middle third of the tunnel," Ringstmeyer said.

There is no damage with the rock itself, Ringstmeyer added, reassuring everyone that there's no concern that the mountain itself is damaged or that the tunnel could collapse.

"The issue is that the inside of the tunnel is lined with concrete and the fire has damaged some of that tunnel liner, and so we're actively seeing some loose concrete coming down," he continued.

The concrete liner is about a foot and three inches thick, Ringstmeyer explained, and contains steel ribs. It is also used for anchors to connect the lighting system, which had extensive damage due to the fire. Investigations will continue to determine the extent of the damage to the liner.

"Basically every square foot of that inside of that tunnel liner needs to be assessed," Ringstmeyer said. "It's going to be a long process."

John Eddins, a District 3 WYDOT engineer from Rock Springs, also spoke during the press conference to address some of the traffic changes that occurred and will occur to reroute traffic around the westbound tunnel.

Much of Interstate 80 was closed for several hours following the crash, then reopened with traffic rerouted through Green River.

"We're very much aware of the impact that puts on the community of Green River," Eddins said.

The plan that WYDOT began working on almost immediately was adding construction and maintenance in order to place a concrete barrier through the eastbound tunnel in order to run head-to-head traffic through it.

"That's not a perfect solution," Eddins admitted, acknowledging that the tunnel is narrow and any vehicles that are over width or height will have to be restricted and detoured over even longer routes. "It's the best solution we have. We know we can't leave traffic on Flaming Gorge Way for very long."

Through an emergency contracting process, WYDOT contracted DeBernardi Construction to place about 5,000 feet of concrete barriers, according to press releases. Contractor S & L Industrial has also installed traffic control, signage and other temporary infrastructure to assist with the head-to-head traffic, WYDOT reported. The speed limit while traffic moves head-to-head will be reduced to 35 miles per hour, and delays are expected, according to a press release. Traffic was anticipated to be switched over by Thursday as of press time.

In the days following the accident, WYDOT, WHP and first responders have continued to work to clear the westbound tunnel of vehicles. WHP completed on-scene data collection at the site of the crash by Monday, but will need to use all the evidence collected to digitally reconstruct the crash to determine narratives, causes and other details, according to a press release.

"WYDOT is also starting the process of soliciting contractors to clean debris and soot in the westbound tunnel, the first step in the long process of restoring it to normal operations," an additional press release explained.

"It is imperative that folks stay away from the westbound tunnel for their safety," said Tim Cameron, Colonel of the Wyoming Highway Patrol. "Between the debris that could still fall and serious concerns about the air quality in the tunnel, it's too dangerous for anyone without proper protective equipment and training to be in the area. We do not want to add any more injuries as a result of this horrible event."

Even as response efforts and investigations continue, multiple state and local officials have expressed their sorrow over the accident and their gratitude for the response from both first responders and residents.

"Friday morning our community experienced a tragic accident in the tunnels on I-80 in Green River," a statement from the City of Green River released on Monday said. "On behalf of the City Council and Mayor, along with City staff and the Green River community as a whole, we would like to express our sincere condolences to those victims and their families who were involved in this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. If there is anything we can do to assist you during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out to us."

The statement went on to thank all the first responders and multiple agencies who helped with the response effort, "all of whom worked tirelessly in adverse conditions to provide public safety service so critical to our community," as well as all those who helped with the state-wide response, and legislators that reached out to provide support.

"This will take time to get through and understand the severity of what we are facing, the fixes that will need done and the equipment, people, and funding to make it happen," the statement continued. "Lastly, we would like to thank the many citizens that have stepped up or offered help with water and food and provided other comforts to our outstanding fire fighters and emergency personnel involved. Thanks to all in our community who have banded together in support of each other."