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Prosecutor: No Charges In Fatal 53-Vehicle Pileup On Icy I-96

FOWLERVILLE (WWJ/AP) - A prosecutor says no charges will be filed in a 53-vehicle December pileup on snow-covered Interstate 96 in Michigan that left three people dead.

Livingston County Prosecutor William Vailliencourt announced the update Monday. He says there's "insufficient evidence to establish culpable conduct" by drivers involved. He says the rapid onset of winter weather was a factor.

I-96 pileup fowlerville
(credit: Tom Jordan/WWJ)

Investigators in January said a driver traveling too fast for conditions caused the pileup and they anticipated seeking a charge of reckless driving or moving violation causing death. The sheriff's department said in April, however, it wasn't requesting charges.

Fifty-three vehicles were involved in the Dec. 8 pileup, about 55 miles west of Detroit. Three people were killed in the crash: 69-year-old Homer Leon Tew and his 62-year-old wife Theresa O'Connor Tew of Ann Arbor, as well as 28-year-old semi-truck driver Vitalii Stelmakh of Hollywood, Florida.

In addition to the fatalities, 11 people were hurt in what Livingston County Sheriff's  Lt. Eric Sanborn said it was "the worst accident (he'd) ever seen." The crash had the westbound lanes of the freeway shut down for nearly 13 hours.

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

Immediately after the crash, officials said ice on the roadway and whiteout conditions were believed to be factors.

© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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