I-96 reopens in Livingston County after massive pileup crash killing 3
LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. (WJBK) - WEB UPDATE (10:50 p.m.): I-96 in Livingston County has reopened according to police.
Three people were killed Thursday morning in an accident that involved at least 40 vehicles on Interstate 96, according to officials with Livingston County Sheriff Department.
Emergency crews are still working to help people trapped inside their vehicles. The extent of other injuries is unknown at this time. Authorities held a press conference You can watch that here.
The freeway is expected to reopen sometime around 10 p.m. tonight.During the press conference, officials said they believed the cause of the crash was due to white out conditions.
Livingston County Sheriff Lt. Eric Sanborn says officials are not yet releasing names as the investigation continues. The exact number of cars cannot be determined until crews begin pulling them apart.
Sanborn says there were between 50 and 75 emergency workers on scene.
Eleven other victims were injured in the crash but their injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Both directions of Interstate 96 were closed between Owasso and Nicholson as crews work to clear and investigate the scene. Eastbound I96 was reopened around 2 p.m., westbound remains closed for cleanup.
Pictures at the scene from Twitter user @FitzAndPieces show the conditions after the accident. His snowy photos show several vehicles piled together.
FOX 2 spoke with one driver who narrowly avoided crashing into the pileup. Nick Alexander said he was driving to Grand Rapids and was unaware there was a pileup ahead of him until a man started running across the freeway to tell him to slow down. He did just that, and narrowly avoided crashing into the pileup.
Drivers should avoid the westbound lanes of I-96 at Grand Street/Exit 129 near Fowlerville while crews investigate and clear the scene.
You can check the FOX 2 traffic map for updates. The information reported by police says to expect delays up to one hour, and to use Grand River as a possible alternate.
Snow and ice are causing dangerous driving conditions in the area.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.