GREEN RIVER, WYOMING — Two people were killed early Sunday after a semi-truck struck an illegally parked tractor-trailer along eastbound Interstate 80 near Green River, triggering an explosion and a fire that shut down the highway for several hours, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

^{Photo credit: Wyoming Highway Patrol}

WHP said troopers responded to the crash at 5:23 a.m. on Sunday, February 8, 2026. Investigators stated that one semi-truck was illegally parked on the right side of eastbound I-80 when a second semi, traveling in the left lane, drifted into the right lane and continued drifting until it hit the trailer of the parked truck.

^{Photo credit: Wyoming Highway Patrol}

“The second semi-truck exploded on impact and was fully engulfed in flames,” said WHP Public Information Officer Aaron Brown. WHP said both occupants of the semi that exploded died at the scene.

The driver of the parked semi-truck was not injured, according to WHP. Troopers said the surviving driver was issued a summons for illegal parking.

WHP said the reason the moving semi drifted is still unknown and the crash remains under investigation.

The Green River Police Department reported major backups and urged motorists to avoid the area, stating that eastbound I-80 was closed and semi-trucks were backed up from Rock Springs to Green River, with local traffic advised to use alternate routes due to the double-fatal crash. Authorities said I-80 reopened around 10 a.m. Sunday.

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