20-Vehicle Pileup on I-80 Injures Two, Closes Highway Near Laramie

A chain of crashes along Interstate 80 between Laramie and Sinclair sent two people to regional hospitals by helicopter and halted traffic across a major southern Wyoming corridor for most of Wednesday afternoon, after a cold front dropped more snow on Albany and Carbon counties than forecasters had predicted.

The worst of the collisions, a roughly 20-vehicle pileup at mile marker 259 eastbound, required helicopter evacuation of two victims whose injuries Wyoming Highway Patrol described only as unknown. Some accounts indicate the crash occurred on a bridge at that marker. By approximately 3:30 p.m., the Wyoming Highway Patrol had posted on Facebook that multiple crashes had forced a rolling closure on I-80 between Sinclair and Laramie, with an expected reopening somewhere between 5 and 7 p.m., contingent on crews completing road clearance and bridge safety inspections.

The pileup was not the only incident along that stretch. Additional crashes were reported between mile markers 264 and 269, complicating the response and extending the closure. Emergency crews worked to secure all crash sites, remove damaged vehicles, and assess nearby bridges for structural damage.

Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman Aaron Brown said investigators had not yet pinpointed a definitive cause. "We don't know the actual cause, but you can imagine it could have been ice and people following too close, driving too fast for conditions," Brown said. "It's a big closure."

The weather that preceded the crashes caught even professional forecasters off guard. Timothy Trudel, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, said a cold front pushed a heavy band of snow across parts of Carbon and Albany counties, depositing 3 to 6 inches. "The amounts were higher than expected," Trudel said. Conditions on the ground reflected that: the Wyoming Highway Patrol reported roads remained extremely slick throughout the day, with lingering slick spots, strong winds, blowing snow, and slush persisting even as some ice began to melt.

The rolling closure served a specific logistical purpose beyond managing crash scenes. Small towns along I-80 carry heavy through-traffic but have limited fuel, parking, and hotel capacity. Keeping the interstate closed between Sinclair and Laramie, rather than allowing vehicles to flow into those communities, was meant to prevent travelers from becoming stranded without adequate services while crews worked.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol used its Facebook advisory to urge all drivers to adjust their behavior in winter conditions: "In these slick, winter conditions, please give more space to the vehicles in front of you, allowing a greater distance for following and more time to stop when needed."

The identities and conditions of the two airlifted individuals had not been released as of reporting, nor had officials confirmed which hospitals received them. Whether the interstate fully reopened within the 5-to-7 p.m. window, and whether any citations or charges resulted from the crashes, remained unconfirmed.