CHEYENNE - A pileup on Interstate 80 Wednesday morning killed one person, injured another and disrupted eastbound traffic for about four hours.

Seven vehicles, including some semitrailers, collided in separate crashes just before 8 a.m. in Carbon County, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said.

Road conditions were dry and clear, but the intense early-morning sun might have limited driver visibility, authorities said.

The crashes began when a Nissan Xterra pulling a rented moving trailer slowed down and was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer combination, the Highway Patrol said.

The driver of the Nissan was killed. The name of the victim is expected to be released today.

One other crash victim was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in Rawlins.

After the first crash, two big rigs - including one hauling 20 tons of apples - stopped behind the wreckage and were slammed by a third semitrailer, said Larry Million of Iron J Towing in Rawlins.

The third truck suffered major damage, but the apples somehow stayed in the trailer. Crews were expected to arrive today to remove the fruit, Million said.

Clothes and papers from the destroyed moving trailer littered the interstate when Million arrived after 8 a.m.

�It looked really bad when you showed up, because there was a lot of debris on the ground, but it didn't compare to the one that killed the six people,� said Million, referring to a 22-vehicle pileup in March 2006 near Elk Mountain in Carbon County.

State troopers closed the eastbound lane of I-80 after Wednesday's crash, rerouting traffic on the Rawlins business loop. The highway reopened around noon.

The Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and working with Carbon County prospectors to determine if charges are warranted, said spokesman Sgt. Stephen Townsend.

Chain-reaction crashes are not unusual on I-80, although most previous pileups have occurred during hazardous driving conditions caused by poor weather.

The March 2006 pileup near Elk Mountain occurred during a sudden winter whiteout.

Likewise, a 36-car pileup that killed six and injured dozens between Laramie and Cheyenne in August 2004 happened in foggy conditions.

Big rigs were a factor in all of the crashes and probably contributed to their severity.

Semitrailers comprise about half of I-80 traffic, and their numbers are expected to increase by 60 percent in the next 20 years, according to Wyoming Department of Transportation estimates.

Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at {M7jared.miller@casperstartribune.net.