HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — More than 100 vehicles crashed on Interstate 196 in western Michigan on Monday as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state, according to the Michigan State Police and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s office.
The massive pileup prompted Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids on Monday morning while officials worked to remove all the vehicles. The state police said there were numerous injuries, but no deaths had been reported. Officials said the chain-reaction crash involved vehicles that smashed into each other or slid off the interstate, including more than 30 semitrailer trucks.
Pedro Mata Jr. told authorities he could barely see cars in front of him as the snow blew across the road while driving 20-25 mph (32-40 kph) before the crash. Mata said he was able to stop his pickup safely, then pulled his truck off the road into the median to avoid being hit from behind.
“It was a little scary just listening to everything, the bangs and booms behind you. I saw what was in front of me. I couldn’t see what was behind me exactly,” Mata said.
Ottawa County sheriff’s officials said multiple crashes and jack-knifed semis were reported along with numerous cars that slid off the road. Stranded motorists were being bused to Hudsonville High School, where officials said people could call for help or arrange a ride.
Officials expected the road to be closed for several hours during the cleanup. One of the companies helping remove the stranded cars, Grand Valley Towing, sent more than a dozen of its trucks to the scene, and several towing companies responded in the cold weather.
“We’re trying to get as many vehicles out of there as quickly as possible, so we can get the road opened back up,” manager Jeff Westveld said.
The pileup was part of a broader winter storm pattern across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about extremely cold temperatures or the potential for winter storms across states starting in northern Minnesota and stretching south and east into Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
A day earlier, snow fell as far south as the Florida Panhandle and made it harder for football players to hang onto the ball during playoff games in Massachusetts and Chicago. Forecasters warned Monday that freezing temperatures are possible overnight into Tuesday across much of north-central Florida and southeast Georgia.