Multi-car crash on I-96 leaves 19-year-old dead, state police issues caution for drivers

A 19-year-old is dead after a three-car crash on I-96 Wednesday morning. 

Big picture view:

The incident happened at around 9:30 a.m. at the Kensington Road Exit, where Michigan State Police investigators say the teen behind the wheel of a Chevy Malibu was speeding before he crashed, causing the car to overturn and land onto a construction trailer. 

FOX 2 then learned two other teens were in the car with him and were still waiting for an update on their conditions.

Meanwhile, a woman in another vehicle hit in the crash was left with minor injuries and is expected to be okay.

The crash left drivers searching for a new route as the westbound lanes of I-96 were shut down for many hours. 

"When you’ve got young people in the car, you’re on the freeway, a nice car and going 100 miles an hour. That’s just not good," said MSP Lt. Rene Gonzalez. 

What they're saying:

According to witnesses, the 19-year-old was speeding, going over 100 mph in the right westbound lane. 

They later say at some point the car swerved into the middle lane and hit a vehicle, with both losing control and hitting a third vehicle. 

The 19-year-old died in the crash. It is unknown at this time if alcohol or drugs were involved. 

"One of the hardest things that we have to do is deliver a death notification, especially when it’s someone so young and had their whole life ahead of them," Gonzalez said "That’s tough to tell a parent."

Dig deeper:

MSP told FOX 2 that several other accidents occurred in the backup traffic on I-96 as a result of the crash. 

State police are reminding drivers to pay attention when on the road. 

The Source: FOX 2 used information from Michigan State Police for this report. 

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