WEBBERVILLE (WWJ) — A crash on I-96 in Ingham County, involving more than a dozen vehicles, left four people dead and 17 hospitalized with serious injuries.
In a statement on X; Michigan State Police (MSP) First District said troopers with the Lansing and Brighton Post were working a detail with DTE to string power lines across the expressway near M-52 on Saturday, November 2nd, around 11:42 p.m. The detail required I-96 to shut down for a brief period of time so workers could pull the lines across the expressway.
When the crash occurred; the troopers had completed the shutdown of westbound I-96 at M-52 on the overpass and reopened the expressway. Multiple vehicles were stopped on I-96 at that time.
A semi-truck driving westbound in the left lane of the expressway “struck numerous vehicles” caught in the traffic backup after it failed to stop in time. The semi and the vehicles broke out in flames, State Police.
Investigators estimate the crash involved 15 vehicles.
Four people are confirmed dead: a 29-year-old man from Carson City who drove a Ford F-150 pickup. Three members of the same family, in a Chevy Trax, also died: a 20-year-old woman, a 43-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man, all from Lansing. Seventeen people were transported to UM Sparrow Hospital and McLaren Hospital in Lansing for serious injuries.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. However, MSP said the semi driver apparently did not see the backup in enough time to stop. His age and hometown remain unknown at this point. He was taken to University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor for treatment of his injuries.
The Ingham County Sheriff's Office, Northeast Ingham Emergency Service Authority, Meridian Township Fire Department, Stockbridge Area Emergency Service Authority, Dansville Fire and Delhi Fire all assisted MSP at the scene.
In an update released around noon; MSP said crews are working to clean up the debris on WB I-96 at M-52, which remains closed. The overpass is also closed and will remain so "indefinitely" because the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) needs to "inspect the bridge for structural integrity" after the fire. Furthermore, southbound and northbound M-52 at I-96 is also shut down.
"We don't anticipate the roadway to open anytime soon," MSP said. "There's a chance it will not open tomorrow (Monday) as well. So if you take this route to work, you will want to find another route or expect heavy backups."
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