Quote:
Originally Posted by repete
With that said I don't know if that was a very localized whiteout/icy conditions or if it was like that for the past 50 miles. I sure wouldn't have wanted to stop on that shoulder!
That spot is one of two or three specific places across Wyoming on I-80 that is KNOWN (to any trucker who's ever been through there much,) to have "localized" icing and whiteout conditions. The weather channel had been warning for days of a blizzard to hit that day. And just to answer your question: That all probably was at most 15 miles or so of those conditions.
WYDOT has electronic speed limit signs in the area that reduce speed limits as conditions warrant. AND.. they have electronic signboards along the route that warn of blowing snow/whiteouts, etc. Another of the videos from this wreck is narrated by a driver who managed to get stopped before he got there, and then was hit from behind. He attributed the cause to two specific truckers who "blew by" him at speeds too fast for conditions.
However... there was a lot of stupid going on that day, and not ALL by the drivers. The person shooting that video should have attempted to go down the road and warn drivers instead of just standing there getting their "youtube fix." WYDOT should have prepositioned a "warning" vehicle before any of that happened. If I understand the sequence properly... there was already a smaller wreck on the other side of the highway, and emergency vehicles were in the area... and with a clear road to have backtracked and set up a warning on the other side (THIS side.) In another video, you can see first responders just standing over there watching it all happen.
There's a good chance that it all started by drivers (possibly 4 wheelers) taking their eyes off the road, and/or slowing down to "looky loo" that previous accident. Still... that section is known for heavy black ice and blowing snow.
Wyoming is SLOW to close that interstate due to "conditions" partly because it is such a major freight lane, and partly because those conditions are SO common during the winter. They have a lot of plows, and they get them out early. But... they just need to do MORE to ensure safety on that road during the winter.
