Ann Arbor Couple Among 3 Killed In 53-Vehicle Pileup On Icy I-96 In Fowlerville

FOWLERVILLE (WWJ) - A couple from Ann Arbor are among the three people who died in the pileup involving 53 cars and trucks along I-96 near Fowlerville.

Livingston County Sheriff Lieutenant Eric Sanborn tells WWJ the couple, 69-year-old Homer Leon Tew and his 62-year-old wife Theresa O'Connor Tew, was riding in the same vehicle when they were killed in the pileup Thursday.

The third victim is a 28-year-old man from Hollywood, Florida. Officials haven't been able to reach his next of kin, so his name is being withheld.

"This is the worst accident that I've ever seen, as far as the amount of cars involved and the severity of the crash," Sanborn said.

Eleven other people were injured and taken to hospitals, but all are expected to be okay.

"They have non-life-threatening injuries," said Sanborn. "The worst of it was a broken ankle, so it really was amazing on how many people were unhurt or only very minor injuries with such a horrific accident."

A cause of the accident remains under investigation, but Sanborn said the wintry weather conditions created a recipe for disaster. A snow squall reduced visibility to less than 50 feet.

"There was ice on the road, it was slick at the time," he said. "The road had a thin layer of ice that had been polished off due to the wind and the blowing snow. And then on top of it, you had the whiteout conditions as well."

The crash, which happened shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday in the area of Fowlerville Road, had the westbound lanes of the freeway shut down for nearly 13 hours. Officials said Friday as many as 53 vehicles were involved, including multiple semi trucks and cars that were crushed between them.

Rescue crews struggled to reach both victims and survivors, several of whom had to be extradited from their vehicles.

The accident remains under investigation.