March 29th, 2010 | 
Author: WAMSUTTER, WY – A jackknifed truck set off a twenty vehicle chain reaction accident Wednesday in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The truck accident happened on Interstate 80 near Wamsutter, between Rock Springs and Rawlins. The accident area is in the south central section of the state, 161 miles southwest of Casper, WY and 285 miles northwest of Denver Colorado.
A second 18 wheeler tanker truck overturned on the interstate as its driver attempted to avoid hitting the jackknifed rig. The tanker was carrying a load of crude oil and spilled about one thousand gallons of oil onto the roadway.
The multi vehicle truck accident was set off shortly after 9:00 a.m. Wednesday morning on eastbound I-80 about three miles west of the town of Wamsutter near the Rasmussen Road interchange. The weather was extremely foggy at the time and the highway’s surface was icy and slippery.
The driver of a semi tractor trailer truck apparently lost control of the rig and it jackknifed in the eastbound lanes of I-80, coming to a stop across several lanes of traffic.
A second 18 wheeler tanker truck overturned on the interstate as its driver attempted to avoid hitting the jackknifed rig. The tanker was carrying a load of crude oil and spilled about one thousand gallons of oil onto the roadway.
With all eastbound traffic lanes suddenly blocked, the vehicles directly behind the disabled trailer trucks began slamming on their brakes, setting off the chain reaction of accidents. Authorities believe a total of twenty vehicles were involved in the truck accident, including passenger vehicles, numerous 18 wheeler trucks, a school bus, and at least one motor home.
One person was killed in the multi vehicle truck accident. Valerie Rutstein, 41 years old of Rock Springs suffered fatal injuries in the chain reaction collision when her car slid into a semi truck and then was hit by another 18 wheeler.
Two unidentified people had to be extricated from their crushed vehicles by emergency personnel. Once free they were transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in Rawlins with serious injuries. Three other victims of the truck accident were also taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.
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The school bus involved in the truck accident had eight students on board and was headed to the Family and Consumer Science State Camp in Cheyenne. According to the school superintendent the bus was “bumped and went off the road.” The bus driver was able to get the bus back onto the interstate and went on to Wamsutter so the students could disembark. No one on the bus was hurt.
Highway crews worked to clean up the spilled crude oil from the second rig involved in the truck accident and a tanker truck was brought in so they could offload the crude oil from the overturned truck.
In addition to the twenty vehicles banged up in the truck accident, several dozen others were involved but not damaged in the pile up.
Police shut down both lanes of I-80 as highway crews worked to clear the disabled trucks and cars off the roadway. The eastbound lanes of the interstate would be close all the way to the Utah border.
The westbound traffic lanes were open at about 3:00 p.m. The eastbound lanes would not reopen until almost 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
No charges or citations have been made at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.
For more information about Wyoming trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact an experienced Wyoming truck accident lawyer. For a free initial consultation, contact nationwide truck accident attorneys, Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP, for expert advice.
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