I-94 Reopens After 32-Vehicle Pileup Near Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO (WWJ) - Westbound I-94 near Kalamazoo has reopened to traffic following a 32-vehicle pileup Thursday morning.

Michigan State Police  said falling snow was made roadways slick on the southwest side of the state, the presumed cause of the chain-reaction crash at about 9:15 a.m. at exit 66 for Mattawan.

MSP First Lt. Dale Hinz said police were on the scene working to clear an early accident on I-94, near the Paw Paw exit, when it happened.

"Vehicles were traveling too fast for conditions leading up to that slide-off, and they started crashing into each other causing this 32-car pileup," Hinz said.

Hinz said, luckily, there were only minor injuries, and crews were able to remove all 32 vehicles within two hours.

He said this was nothing compared to the 193-car pileup about two years ago in the Kalamazoo area.

"There were no seriously damaged semis. Usually those are the vehicles that take the extra time, because you'll have things like spilled cargo or vehicles that will have to be taken off on flatbeds in pieces because of the amount of damage," Hintz said. "But thankfully in this pileup we didn't have anything to that extent."

All lanes are now back open to traffic.

The National Weather Service says 15 inches of snow has fallen in Mancelona and Alba, northeast of Traverse City in northern Michigan over the past 24-hours. In the Traverse City-area, a man was struck and killed late yesterday while clearing snow from his driveway.

Only flurries were falling in Metro Detroit on Thursday, although AccuWeather says up to two inches of snow is expected in areas of Southeast Michigan this weekend.

As always, police urge drivers to slow down and be extra cautious on freeways, allowing extra space between vehicles when it's snowing or sleeting.

Know before you go: Keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest forecast during traffic and weather, every 10 minutes on the 8s. See the live, local radar now at this link.