A deadly crash, hazmat crews, and a busted median among the carnage on metro Detroit highways after rain
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A deadly crash on I-75, a busted median on I-696, and a call for a hazmat team to respond to a crash on I-94; it was a messy day on the roads in metro Detroit.
A concoction of driving too fast in conditions that are too slippery led to at least 37 preventable wrecks on Southeast Michigan roadways since early Thursday, Michigan State Police said.
According to First Lt. Mike Shaw, rain is just as bad as snow - especially when it first starts.
"You're cleaning up all this excess oil and debris and it has a tendency to make you lose control if you're going too fast," he said.
That happened early Thursday morning on southbound I-75 near Eight Mile where a fatal crash was caused by the driver of a black Chevrolet Cruz. Shaw said the person was traveling too fast, lost control, and skidded across the freeway, striking the bridge abutment.
It killed a 26-year-old Chesterfield man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Then, only hours later, at I-696 and Coolidge, a semi-truck was traveling too fast when they crashed into a barrier. Remarkably, there were no injuries. But the carnage on the road showed the kind of destruction that unfolded.
A couple hours later at westbound I-94 at Rosa Parks, another semi-truck was following too closely and rear-ended an SUV. Again, no injuries, but a big headache for other drivers and road crews.
"Just take your time and if you’ve gotta leave a little bit earlier, for work, that’s your best bet," said Shaw.
1 dead after speed leads to 2 crashes on I-75 near 8 Mile
One person was killed after speed led to two crashes that happened at nearly the same time on I-75 at Eight Mile on Thursday morning, Michigan State Police said.