A newly released preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sheds light on the series of crashes that led to a deadly pileup in a Wyoming highway tunnel last month.
The multi-vehicle accident, which occurred on February 14 along Interstate 80 near Green River, resulted in three fatalities, 20 injuries, and significant damage to the tunnel.
According to the report, the chain reaction began when a Toyota Tundra pickup truck lost control while exiting the westbound tunnel. The truck spun into a guardrail before coming to a stop, partially blocking both lanes of traffic. Investigators noted that snow had fallen earlier that day, and while conditions had since cleared, the roadway remained wet with possible ice and slush near the tunnel exit.
A Peterbilt semi-truck attempted to avoid the stopped Toyota, hitting the tunnel wall before coming to a stop further down the highway. A Jeep Grand Cherokee, also exiting the tunnel, lost control while braking and veered off the roadway.
Moments later, a Volvo VNL semi-truck jackknifed inside the tunnel while attempting to stop, blocking both lanes of traffic. A Dodge Ram pickup truck carrying four passengers then collided with the semi, followed by a Freightliner semi-truck, which struck the tunnel wall before crashing into the Dodge. The entangled vehicles continued moving forward, ultimately striking the stopped Toyota and another semi-truck before coming to a halt.
Following the initial collisions, several more vehicles became involved, and a fire broke out inside the tunnel. Due to the confined space, emergency response and cleanup efforts were especially challenging.
Three people lost their lives in the crash:
- Christopher Johnson, 20, of Rawlins, Wyoming
- Quentin Romero, 22, also of Rawlins
- Harmanjeet Singh, 30, of Nova Scotia, Canada
Singh, a semi-truck driver, was trapped in his vehicle and died in the fire. The other two victims were passengers in the Dodge Ram. In addition to the fatalities, 20 others sustained injuries of varying severity.
It took over two days to clear the westbound tunnel of wreckage, and the structure suffered extensive damage. Cleanup operations began in mid-March, focusing on debris removal and contamination cleanup. Engineers will evaluate the tunnel’s structural integrity before beginning long-term repairs, which are expected to be completed before winter.
Andrea Domhoff, one of the survivors, recalled the chaotic scene as she escaped the tunnel. She captured video footage while walking out, surrounded by smoke and burning wreckage. Reflecting on the NTSB report, she expressed gratitude for the drivers who managed to avoid hitting her vehicle.
“All these people made decisions to not hit me, and they could have, and I wouldn’t have walked out of there,” Domhoff said.
Though she lost her car in the crash, she remains focused on moving forward.
“I was sad to see it go, but at the same time, I was not sad to see it go because I did not want to relive that every time I sat in it,” she said.
The NTSB, in collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation, continues to investigate the accident. The final report, expected within a year, will provide a detailed analysis and recommend safety measures to help prevent similar incidents in the future.
For now, transportation officials urge drivers to remain cautious, especially in unpredictable weather conditions, as work continues to restore the tunnel to full operation.
KSL.com, 2KUTV, Cowboy State Daily, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
