BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — An Emmitt Township cruiser was hit by a driver as the officer tried to deal with a jackknifed semi early Thursday.
The semi and a nearby rollover led to the closure of westbound I-94 around 4:40 a.m.
The semi was in the median and fuel leaked from the truck’s tanks. While an Emmett Township police officer on the scene was waiting for a hazmat crew and other help, another driver slid into the police car. The officer was unhurt.
Shortly after, a driver rolled his vehicle on I-94 at mile marker. The driver was trapped while the vehicle was on its top, but he told a state trooper he didn’t think he was hurt.
The expressway was reopened by 5:45 a.m. after the semi and the police cruiser were removed. It took longer to clear the rollover.
Meanwhile, unrelated to the weather, a truck’s tire caught fire on northbound US-31 at Lincoln Avenue, and while fire crews took care of that, northbound US-31 was closed at Central Avenue for a time.
(Photo of semis backed up on I-94 courtesy of FOX 17 viewer Mike Arnswald.)
