DETROIT (WWJ) — Michigan State Police say one person was killed and two others were injured in a pair of crashes that shut down I-75 at I-696 for several hours Thursday morning.
Reporting from the scene, WWJ's Charlie Langton said there were multiple cars with "extensive damage" on the freeway, near 8 Mile Rd.
Michigan State Police said the initial crash, at around 5:45 a.m., involved a 37-year-old Oak Park man driving a Chevy SUV. He was traveling in the left lane, police said, when he "lost control due to speed."
The SUV slid across all lanes before crashing into the bridge support and coming to a stop in the right lane. That driver suffered minor injuries.
In the second crash in the same area, MSP said a 26-year-old Chesterfield Township man was driving a Chevy Cruze when he "lost control due to speed." He crashed into the bridge support and came to a stop in the left lane where his car was hit by a Dodge Avenger.
The Cruze driver was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. The Avenger driver suffered only minor injuries.
The name of the man who died is being withheld at this time, as MSP said it is working to notify his family.
An investigation by the MSP crash reconstruction section is ongoing.
While the freeway has reopened, drivers should expect continued delays in the area.