Multiple car crash search Cathy Orde and Moose 8/2004 Wyoming Moose worked his first mass disaster on I-80 this past Thursday. We had very dense fog which was the cause of a 37 car/semi pileup causing multiple injuries and four fatalities. This was a horrific accident which made national news. Multiple semi-trucks and cars caught fire and burned. Vehicles and wreckage (contents from the semis - potatoes, wine, cookies, fruit, machinery, shoes, etc., covered in oil, diesel fuel) were being moved to extinguish the flames when someone noticed a small part of a torso. Moose was called in by the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Albany County Sheriff's Dept. I had Moose check the area where the piece of torso was found. He indicated under a semi truck frame that was flat on the ground. The frame and debris were removed and a right foot, piece of tibia and other tissue and bone fragments were located. Front end loaders started removing more of the wreckage when a mangled semi truck was found buried under the pile. The on-scene personnel thought all vehicles were accounted for. Moose was brought back in. He climbed up the pile and alerted very strongly and came back down to me indicating by hitting my leg with his paw (Andy, like he did in the boat) as if to say they are up there, looking back up at the pile and barking. The wreckage was pulled apart to reveal a woman and a child. A teenage male that had been near the two victims in the tangled metal had accidentally been loaded by the end loader when they were clearing the debris away to get to the victims and placed across the interstate in the debris pile where he was located Friday morning. We were called back the next day to check for other victims. Moose did find small pieces of tissue and bone fragments, no other people were located. The recovery cleanup was called off yesterday afternoon when the Highway Patrol and Sheriff's Dept. learned that every one had been accounted for. The law enforcement authorities, fire service personnel, Homeland Security managers and FBI were all very appreciative and impressed with Moose, his talents and training. It was really cool to have all of the above mentioned personal standing around in silence watching Moose work finding victims and parts.

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