Jack-knifed truck led to fatal pileup on Wyoming highway

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A collision between two semi-trucks led one to jack-knife across westbound lanes of a Wyoming highway and cause a pileup that killed three people, a highway patrol report said.

The crash involving about 30 vehicles including additional semi-trucks occurred March 1 on Interstate 80, The Casper Star-Tribune reports.

The fatalities included Deborah Carrel, 53, of Marshall, Michigan; Emman Ojiaka, 64, of Denton, Texas; and Kian Kennedy, 27, of Hampton, Georgia.

There was a second large accident nearby minutes later that did not result in any de! aths, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said in a preliminary report published this week.

Dozens of people sought medical care at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in Rawlins.

The two accident scenes involved about 80 vehicles in separate collisions, Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeremy Beck said Tuesday.

The initial count of 100 vehicles involved was lowered because vehicles that pulled off the road or otherwise avoided the collision were counted among those at the scene, Beck said.

The highway patrol indicated speed and driver inattention may have contributed to the wreck.

Beck did not know if anyone was held criminally culpable for the accident.

Sweetwater County Attorney Dan Erramouspe did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.