WEBBERVILLE, Mich. — Four people were killed in a fiery, 15-car freeway pileup that happened just before midnight Saturday night east of Lansing.
Michigan State Police say the crash involved several semis. The crash happened at 11:42 p.m. Saturday on I-96 at M-52 near Webberville. A portion of the freeway was closed by troopers from the Lansing and Brighton posts. The area had been closed as DTE Energy was working in the area.
Troopers had just reopened the freeway following that work, but several vehicles were still stopped on I-96. A semi-truck with a trailer heading west on the freeway did not see the backup and could not stop in time, slamming into several vehicles. The impact caused several vehicles, and the semi, to catch fire.
State police estimate a total of 15 vehicles were involved, including the semi that caused the crash. Seventeen people were seriously hurt and four were killed. I-96 remains shut down as of Sunday morning and is expected to be shut down indefinitely. MDOT will also need to inspect the M-52 bridge in that area.
The names of the people who were killed in the crash have not been released. However, police said one of the victims was a 29-year-old man from Carson City who was driving a Ford F-150 pickup. The three other victims were a 20-year-old woman, a 43-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man who were all in a Chevy Trax and were related.
Northview band students who were returning home from a state band competition at Ford Field in Detroit were caught up in the crash. Members of the band boosters posted on Facebook that all of the students were OK, but that a trailer belonging to the band was damaged.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back later for updates.