HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — A massive pile-up involving more than 100 vehicles on I-196 Monday prompted an extensive emergency response that transformed Hudsonville High School into a temporary shelter for stranded drivers.
Whiteout conditions and blowing snow triggered the multi-vehicle crash, requiring coordination between multiple agencies including sheriff's deputies, firefighters, medical teams, and school staff.
"When we in emergency management received the call, it was already being characterized as a 100-plus vehicle pile-up on the freeway, so just that information alone, we know there's going to be a lot of coordination needed," Director of Emergency Management at Ottawa County Lou Hunt said.
As first responders rushed to the scene, crews quickly realized they would be dealing with a long-term situation. Their immediate focus shifted to locating any injured people and getting stranded drivers out of the freezing conditions.
"They have a hierarchy of priorities. The first is life safety… Thank goodness we didn't have any really serious injuries or fatalities," Hunt said.
The emergency response extended far beyond a single department, involving law enforcement, fire crews, medical teams, volunteers, and local businesses working together.
"It's really an all-hands-on-deck type of thing… We had at least two different ambulance services… all kinds of wrecker services… our dispatchers and our 911 center are working hard," Hunt said.
With drivers stuck in freezing conditions, Hudsonville High School quickly became a critical resource for the community response.
"We got a call Monday morning… asking if they can use our high school as a staging location for people who are in need to get out of the cold. And of course, the answer was yes," Hudsonville Schools Superintendent Dr. Doug VanderJagt said.
Inside the school, staff worked alongside emergency management teams to ensure displaced drivers had access to warmth and basic necessities.
"You don't realize how many moving parts there are… transportation, custodial maintenance, making sure facilities are warm… There was shelter, there was food, people were helping direct traffic… making sure they had access to Wi-Fi," VanderJagt said.
Community members also stepped in to help, with some arriving without even being asked to assist.
"We had people dropping off pizzas and sandwiches… local clergy showing up," VanderJagt said.
"It really makes you proud to be in Ottawa when you see the way our responders react to these situations, and the community wraps their arms around everybody," Hunt said.
Despite the massive scale of the crash, the coordinated response helped speed recovery efforts and get the freeway reopened quickly.
"I was as amazed as anybody how quickly our first responders got that freeway open back up… I dare say our folks might have set a record somewhere in getting that roadway open back up," Hunt said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
