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Icy Conditions Cause Crashes On I-94 and US-131

Posted at 6:16 AM, Jan 10, 2014
and last updated 2014-01-10 06:16:08-05

01-09-14 I-94 crash rolloverPORTAGE, Mich. — The westbound lanes of I-94 were closed at Sprinkle Road and a rash of slide-offs on US-131 in northern Kalamazoo County occurred as drivers had trouble dealing with icy pavement in the early morning hours of Friday.

The earliest trouble actually took place shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday in a chain-reaction crash on westbound I-94 between Westnedge Avenue and Oakland Drive. The accident began when a pickup struck the median wall, two vehicles lost control trying to avoid the pickup, a semi driver stopped to avoid what was happening in front and was hit from behind by a car, and a pickup lost control trying to avoid the semi. A total of six vehicles were involved, and three people were sent to the hospital with minor injuries.

People blamed “high traffic speeds, tailgating, and icy road conditions” for the chain reaction crash.

Freezing drizzle also created icy conditions in the early morning hours of Friday on US-131, where an outbreak of slide-offs took place around 5 a.m. Salt trucks were dispatched to treat the highway.