CASPER, Wyo. — Representatives of a 22-year-old Rawlins man killed in a 26-vehicle crash in the Green River tunnel on Interstate 80 in February are suing three drivers and two commercial vehicle companies for negligence resulting in wrongful death.
Quentin Romero was one of two people killed in a Dodge Ram.
According to the joint National Transportation Safety Board and Wyoming Department of Transportation investigation, the incident began at 11:33 a.m. on February 12, 2025, when a Toyota Tundra heading west spun out just after exiting the tunnel.
It came to a stop about 150 feet from the westbound tunnel exit, blocking the right lane and a portion of the left lane.
To avoid the Toyota, a Peterbilt semitrailer struck the tunnel’s side and came to a stop on the shoulder about 450 feet outside the tunnel. A Jeep also spun out, collided with the guardrail, and came to a stop on a hillside outside the tunnel.
Moments later, a 2020 Volvo semi-truck braked in response to the Toyota on the road and jackknifed, blocking the tunnel. The 2012 Dodge Ram driven by Romero and three others collided with the Volvo.
“At the same time, the driver of a 2019 Freightliner Cascadia [semi] traveling in the right lane steered into the left lane, where it struck the tunnel wall and also collided with and overrode the Dodge,” according to the report.
“The entangled Freightliner and Dodge continued west, re-impacted the Volvo’s truck-tractor, exited the tunnel, collided with the Toyota, and came to a stop after striking the Peterbilt’s rear. Following these collisions, several other vehicles collided within the tunnel, resulting in a post-crash fire.”
Another semi driver died after being trapped in his vehicle when a fire broke out in the tunnel.
Casper attorney Grant Lawson filed a civil complaint alleging that the Freightliner “overrode the rear of the Dodge Ram with such incredible force that the two vehicles essentially became a single unit.”
The driver of the Freightliner unit and his employer, IGM Logistics, are named as defendants. The defendants include the driver of the Volvo semi that jackknifed ahead of the Dodge and his employer, Two Bros and Jack Company.
The woman who crashed her Toyota Tundra outside the tunnel is also accused.
The complaint alleges that the semi-truck drivers failed to identify hazards and drive prudently, and that their employers were negligent in putting them on the road. The driver of the Volvo that collided with the Dodge is accused of driving too fast.
The investigators stated that snow had fallen earlier in the day, and that the variable speed limit had been reduced from 65 mph to 55 mph due to the conditions.
The driver of the Peterbilt and his employer, Western Wyoming, are mentioned in the complaint but not named as defendants.
“Defendants IGM Logistics, Two Bros and Jack and Western Wyoming all had a duty to the public to avoid knowingly placing their commercial truck drivers in hazardous or unsafe conditions which would pose a foreseeable risk of serious injury to members of the public,” according to the lawsuit.
“As a direct and proximate cause and result of the acts and omissions of the Defendants as alleged herein, Quentin Romero suffered catastrophic injuries causing his death, for which the Defendants are responsible.”
The complaint alleges that these defendants were guilty of state criminal violations such as careless driving and reckless driving, but it is unclear whether they were cited or prosecuted.
Romero was employed at HF Sinclair as an operator and was enlisted in the Army National Guard, according to his obituary.
