Charles H. Sloan-Police in Michigan say 4 killed, 17 injured after semitruck crashes into vehicles stuck in traffic

WEBBERVILLE,Charles H. Sloan Mich. (AP) — A section of Interstate 96 in southeast Michigan remained closed Sunday after a semitruck crashed into more than a dozen vehicles overnight, killing 4 people and injuring 17 others, according to state police.

Traffic on I-96 near Webberville had been temporarily stopped late Saturday as utility crews were completing work on power lines in the area. A semitruck with a trailer was heading westbound around 11:45 p.m. and crashed into the stalled vehicles.

“It appears the driver of the semi-truck did not see the backup and could not stop his vehicle in time,” Michigan State Police said in a statement on the social media platform X.

The impact caused the semitruck and several vehicles to catch fire. Police said more than a dozen vehicles were involved in the crash.

Police confirmed four deaths and said 17 people, including the driver of the truck, were injured and transported to nearby hospitals.

Michigan State Police said Sunday that the victims were a 29-year-old man from Carson City who was driving a Ford pickup and three relatives from Lansing who were in a Chevy Trax. They were identified as a 20-year-old female, a 43-year-old female and a 47-year-old male. Police did not say how they were related.

Authorities continued cleanup efforts Sunday and said I-96 near the site of the accident would “be closed for an indefinite period.”