VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. (DDN) – The Michigan State Police said that a chain reaction crash occurred Tuesday morning along Interstate 94 in West Michigan due to whiteout conditions.
The impact of the many slide-offs and crashes around 9 a.m. forced the closure of roughly 10 miles of the interstate highway’s eastbound lanes near Hartford, according to Michigan State Police, Fifth District social media posts. This location lies just west of Kalamazoo.
The state police reported just minor injuries.
According to the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, Lake Michigan produced lake-effect snow across much of West Michigan on Tuesday.
Troopers from the Paw Paw Post reported to the district that the sequence of incidents occurred at mile markers 46 and 56 on I-94 under whiteout conditions. They discovered that a collision between three semi-trucks triggered a chain reaction involving ten passenger automobiles and six semis.
“Minor injuries only,” the police social media post stated. “Seatbelts were used by all occupants.”
At 9:09 a.m., the Michigan Department of Transportation, Southwest District, issued a road closure statement for eastbound I-94 near Lawrence exit 52. Shortly later, the road closure was moved back to eastbound I-94 at Hartford Exit 46.
Around 2 p.m., all lanes on Interstate 94 in Van Buren County were reported open.
Looking forward, the NWS predicts an increase in “potential for travel impacts” due to snow and slow winds in the area north of Grand Rapids and Holland on Wednesday and Thursday. “Snow and blowing snow will make travel difficult and reduce visibilities at times,” according to the projections.
Reference: Snowy chain-reaction crash on I-94 in West Michigan involves 16 vehicles
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