I-94 crash Friday in Michigan involves 193 vehicles, kills one

An I-94 crash Friday in Michigan involving 193 vehicles killed one driver and injured more than 20 people. The crash happened on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015, and over the last few days videos, photos and about 40 minutes of 911 tapes have been shared across the web.

Investigators are still trying to reconstruct the crash that happened around 9:30 a.m. on I-94 in Galesburg, Michigan. The massive crash involved traffic in both directions. There were 76 semis involved in the fiery crash, including some carrying fuel, hazardous materials and fireworks. Fireworks ignited and could be heard going off in the background of some witness videos. View a dash cam video.

According to mlive.com:

• The interstate was closed for 43 hours.
• There were 40,000 pounds of commercial fireworks in a semi-truck involved in the crash. Fireworks started exploding when the pileup on the eastbound side of the highway caught fire.
• 21 emergency agencies responded.
• Residents within a 3-mile radius were evacuated for a few hours because of the hazardous materials.
• The temperature was 13 degrees, it was snowing and there was snow and ice on the ground.
• There were 12.5 million Google hits in a search for “I-94 crash Friday Jan. 9 2015.” 
• Read more by the numbers.

Investigators say weather played a role in the crash. There were whiteout conditions and icy, snow slippery roadways.

A 57-year-old truck driver from Canada was killed. Two firefighters working at the scene were among the 23 injured. Read more.

Traveling the interstate can be a dangerous trip, especially in terrible weather conditions. Luckily in Southwest Florida we don’t have to worry about whiteout conditions and snow but we do need to be more cautious during the rain. If you drive in the cold climates, be sure to drive at a safe speed for the weather and watch for stopped traffic. Speed often plays a factor in weather-related crashes. You may not be speeding, but the conditions may require a slower speed.

You can get safety tips and more by visiting our website or reading other blog posts. If we can be of any assistance or provide you with information, contact us at (239) 332-3000 or toll free at 888-428-8943, email us at gethelp@injuryinfo.org.