CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The death toll from a massive chain reaction accident on I-80 rose to four Friday as authorities spent the day clearing charred wreckage from the road. The first crash occurred in the eastbound lanes about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, 18 miles east of Laramie. A series of crashes cascaded back from the initial collision as drivers began running into stopped vehicles.
Thirty-five vehicles eventually were piled up Thursday morning between Cheyenne and Laramie, beginning with seven tractor-trailer rigs and three passenger cars that were engulfed in flames.
Approximately 40 people went to hospitals, and three remained hospitalized Friday.
"This is the worst crash I've seen in my 24 years with the patrol, and it is a tragedy for those involved, but we were very fortunate no tankers or (hazardous materials) carriers were involved," said Sgt. Steve Townsend of the Wyoming Highway Patrol. "It could have been much worse."
At 2 p.m. Friday, about 27 hours after the collisions, one of two eastbound lanes was re-opened with a speed limit of 30 mph through the crash zone. Crews had worked around the clock to clear the wreckage and repair a 100-foot section of roadway damaged by the fires.
Investigators, including forensic experts from the FBI and state Division of Criminal Investigation, were still sifting through the wreckage, some looking for bodies.
Officials believe heavy fog, wet roads and speeding drivers were factors in the wrecks, but they do not yet know exactly what touched them off.
"It may be some time before we find out, if we ever find out," Townsend said.
Tom Throop of Lander said he encountered rain and fog as he and his wife traveled to Cheyenne on business.
"All of a sudden visibility just dropped very quickly" and his car hit the back of a semi trailer, he told the Laramie Boomerang.
"We scrambled out of the car just as another car bashed into the back of our car," he said.
One body was found hours later, two more turned up overnight and the fourth was found Friday morning, Townsend said.
Tim McGary, district maintenance engineer for the Wyoming Department of Transportation, said there were three to six separate crash events.
Ten accident victims were admitted to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie Thursday. By Friday afternoon, seven had been released, while one remained in stable condition and two were transferred to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo.
Twenty-eight people were treated at United Medical Center-West in Cheyenne and released by Friday.
Traffic was backed up 25 miles shortly after the accidents, then was diverted at Laramie through Fort Collins, a 60-mile detour.
The collisions occurred in a stretch through the Laramie Mountains notorious for treacherous conditions, though not usually in summer. At 8,000 feet above sea level, the section is the highest along I-80, which runs between San Francisco and New York.
"This was a crash of a magnitude rarely seen in Wyoming, and we have had tremendous support and assistance from many local, state and federal agencies in responding to the enormous challenge of dealing with this tragedy," WyDOT Director Sleeter Dover said.
"We extend our sincerest condolences to the people who lost family and friends in this terrible crash."