Four people are dead, and nearly two dozen others were injured after a semi-truck crashed into several vehicles in Michigan traffic over the weekend.
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In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Michigan State Police (MSP) First District stated that on Saturday, Nov. 2, at approximately 11:42 p.m. local time on Interstate 96, numerous vehicles were stopped on the expressway due to the work on the power lines being done.
“The troopers [from the Lansing and Brighton Post] had just completed a shutdown on westbound I-96 at M-52 on the overpass and had just reopened the expressway,” the statement reads.
It was later corrected that DTE Energy had shut down the westbound I-96 at M-52 on the overpass.
Law enforcement officials then revealed that a semi-truck with a trailer was going westbound on the expressway and came up onto the stopped traffic. The driver of the vehicle appeared to not see the backup traffic and could not stop in time.
“The semi-truck was in the left lane of travel and struck numerous vehicles,” the statement continued. “The impact of the crash caused the semi-truck and numerous vehicles to catch fire,” police confirmed.
Approximately fifteen vehicles are involved in the deadly crash, including the semi-truck.
In a separate update, it was revealed that 17 drivers and occupants of vehicles involved in the accident were taken to Sparrow and McLaren Hospital in Lansing. Among those who died was a 29-year-old male from Carson City, who was in a Ford F-150 pickup. A 20-year-old female, a 43-year-old female, and a 47-year-old male, all of whom were from Lansing, were also killed.
The driver of the semi-truck was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.
All But Two of the Injured in Deadly I-96 Semi-Truck Accident Have Been Released From the Hospital
In an update on Monday, Nov. 4, the Michigan State Police (MSP) First District revealed that all but two of those injured in the deadly semi-truck accident over the weekend were released from the hospital.
“The driver of the truck that was involved in the crash remains at the UM Hospital,” the update revealed.
Names of the victims have not been released publicly.
A witness spoke to Fox 47News about the deadly accident. “I’ve never seen an accident like that before.” Breanna Barnhart, who saw the terrifying incident, stated. “You don’t ever think something like that is going to happen, and for them just to be at a standstill, it can happen to you anytime, anyplace.”
Barnhart shared she was stuck in standstill traffic for 15 minutes before coming across the scene. “First responders were by the cars, and it looked like they were trying to get into the vehicles. Then you could see the semi, but it wasn’t even a semi anymore,” she said. “It was just the frame of the truck. There looked to be about four or five cars on fire.”
The crash remains under investigation.