Several injured in series of crashes along I-94 west of Ann Arbor
This story has been updated with information on injuries and the sequence of crashes.
Two people suffered serious injuries this morning in a two-car crash on eastbound I-94 at Baker Road west of Ann Arbor, Michigan State Police said.
A third person involved in that crash was taken to the hospital with less serious injuries. And several other people suffered minor injuries in a series of crashes this morning along both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the freeway in Scio Township.
The most serious crash occurred about 8:30 a.m. when one car struck the rear of another car whose driver had slowed or stopped because of a traffic backup from an earlier accident, Trooper Duane Zook with the Michigan State Police said.
The driver and a passenger in the rear-ended car suffered serious injuries, Zook said. The driver of the other car had minor injuries, he said. All three were taken to the University of Michigan Hospital by Huron Valley Ambulance.
Zook said the driver of the second car told police he glanced down at his radio, and when he looked up, the other car was right in front of him. There was no indication the driver had braked before impact, Zook said, estimating the speed at 70 mph.
The series of accidents began with two crashes about 7:20 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-94 between Baker and Parker roads, Zook said. Each crash involved two vehicles, and none of the occupants were taken to the hospital.
While police were still on the scene of one of those accidents a pickup truck hauling a trailer with a generator rolled over in the eastbound lanes between Zeeb and Baker roads at about 8:15 a.m. The driver suffered minor injuries but did not need ambulance transportation.
It was during the slowdown from that accident that the fourth and most-serious crash occurred.
Scio Township firefighters and Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies assisted state police at the scene.
Comments
amom
Wed, Aug 4, 2010 : 9:06 p.m.
Was the name of the driver ever released? The man who hit Jane's car from behind? Given that she lost her life, will charges be pressed against this man?
amom
Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:44 a.m.
Jane Bailey, 48, of Marshall passed away. Her 16 year old son survived the crash. God Bless the Bailey Family.
FoxviewFarm
Sun, Aug 1, 2010 : 6:53 a.m.
I hope there is some sort of update- for those that drove past the crash sites, it was horrific.
Stephanie
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 8:55 p.m.
Actually I am a friend of the family of one of the victims in the accident and she did pass away this morning. My heart goes out to the family in this time of sorrow and we luv u and r praying for u
Dan
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 3:55 p.m.
I drive that section every morning, I saw the pickup with the generator after the crash, It didn't look good. That section not only has the speed, traffic and merging on ramps but it also gets a good blast each morning of a blinding sun rise not a good combo.
pfrance
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 9:33 a.m.
My prayers go out to the family who lost a loved one in the car accident. My son just completed segment 2 of driver's training and has completed 30 hours of the 50 hours required to receive his driver's license. He will be 16 in October and will be eligible for his license. He is a very good driver but I'm nervous for him driving with other drivers who are sometimes careless. So many people drive at a higher speed unnecessarily. They seem to be in such a rush. It is as if the speed limit is an option or suggestion. I have purchased signs for our vehicle that read "Student at the Wheel". Hopefully, that will inform people that my son is driving and either go around or drive cautiously.
Matt
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 5:48 a.m.
May God Bless Jane and Robert. Robert is a very special needs child that Mom Jane and the rest of their family have done an amazing job raising and giving Robert a fantastic life despite his disabilities. This is personally very hard for many. Please send a prayer for Jane and for Robert.
FoxviewFarm
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 4:58 a.m.
Oh Dear God...so sad...
amom
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 12:47 a.m.
Unfortunately, the 2 that were rear-ended are not okay. A precious life was lost.
Major
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 10:41 p.m.
I was there, I saw it happen. Approx 9:15 AM I-94, at the Baker Rd exit, a car traveling at a high rate of speed (bearing Delaware plates)slammed into a car stopped in traffic, tossing both cars through the air, spinning and rolling, the sound was sickening. I helped the guy from Delaware out, couldn't believe it, only a bloody nose. The other car had a woman and man unconscious and bleeding. The trunk was in the back seat. I hope they are ok.
Deanna
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 7:38 p.m.
I live north of Jackson but go home to visit my family in Ypsilanti almost every other weekend. As soon as I pass the Chelsea exit, I start using my defensive driving skills. I worked in Ann Arbor for 12 years but having been away from it for 13 years, I have to say, people in that area drive like maniacs.
steven
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 7:14 p.m.
I recently moved here from Minnesota, near the border of Wisconsin, and I sincerely cannot decide which state has worse drivers; Michigan or Illinois, both drive extremely reckless, fast, and don't seem to be paying any attention. I can count on 2 hands each day on my drive to school the amount of people that think its necessary to cut me off so closely that if i had not seen them coming they would have caused an accident, i have become apprehensive to be anywhere near a "junker" car that has dings or crash damage because of the way Michigan drivers, drive. From someone who comes from a state where the drivers are considered "slow" but safe, its a shock everyday trying to drive the 10 miles from my house to my school. Please respect yourself enough to slow down and pay attention.
81wolverine
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 2:55 p.m.
That area around Baker Road has generated a lot of accidents for a long time. I would have thought it would have decreased after they re-built the intersection and increased the length of the onramps. But, evidently, the large number of trucks merging onto the road from the truck stop there may still be causing problems. That, and distracted drivers not paying attention.
spm
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 2:23 p.m.
My co-worker's husband called and said he was passing a truck hauling a generator when the truck started fish-tailing. They were going about 70 mph. and her husband figured that perhaps the generator shifted around and made the truck difficult to handle since the generator was very large. He was passing the truck and just floored it to get around him. Right after that the truck lost complete control and crashed. Hope everyone in all these crashes today will make it out alive.
seldon
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 1:33 p.m.
94 west of Ann Arbor seems to have a much higher incidence of crashes than anywhere else right around here. Do the actual stats bear that out?
FoxviewFarm
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 1:24 p.m.
It was a mess- glad the person In the pickup will ( hopefully) be ok. Scary!
Barb
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 1:20 p.m.
It was crazy this morning. East... West... I was getting confused.
libertyordeath
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:56 a.m.
This morning, I drove westbound on 94 between Zeeb and Baker around 8:20 and saw an SUV flipped over in the eastbound lanes. Being that I was trying to keep my eyes on the traffic in front of me, I might have missed the rolled semi, but those are pretty hard to miss. Was a semi involved, or did one actually rollover, in the accident reported at 8:11 a.m.?
dading dont delete me bro
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 10:38 a.m.
"All of this because Michigan is one of the easiest states to get a driver license..." hunh? don't need a driver's license to get behind a wheel...i know several people that drive w/o licenses. i also try not to go in the same direction they are. doh!
A2jo
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 9:58 a.m.
Volume of AM traffic heading East Bound and Speed most likely factors 3 Lanes, along with merging lanes. Throw in additional factors like Cell Phone use and Texting potential... Then there are the drivers putting on make-up and eating breakfast on the way to work, while driving the high speeds and...... A couple weeks ago I noticed a near accident when 3 Deer had made it down to the Zeeb freeway entrance ramp (down the slopt from the Grand Traverse Pie Co ) So any number of possibly factors here Drive safely out there!
AlwaysLate
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 9:53 a.m.
annarbor.com... I believe your timeline is way off. WJR radio was reporting the first crash at Baker Road as early as 7:15AM.
Cash
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 9:50 a.m.
BlueNever, Without knowing what caused these accidents, it's premature to assume they could only happen in Michigan because a driver's license is easier to get. Goodness. This site gives some verifiable statistics on accidents: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/stsi/usa%20web%20report.htm If your presumption that Michigan drivers are bad because licenses are easy to get is valid, then they must give driver's licenses away in Cracker Jack boxes in Ohio.
BlueNever!
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 9:32 a.m.
All of this because Michigan is one of the easiest states to get a driver license. (I think they only require a heartbeat as the test.) To borrow the phrase from Ralph Nader, a majority of MI drivers are "unsafe at any speed". We can all rest easier knowing we were not involved in the crashes. Wait a second, that's wrong. We all get to pay for the property damages and vehicle repair in our increased no-fault insurance payments. Good news of the accidents: no one appears to be seriously injured.
Dakotawoman1
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 9:15 a.m.
At 7:30 I heard a traffic report that there was an accident on WESTBOUND I94 between Zeeb and Baker..... So...although I have no way of knowing for sure....my guess is these other accidents may have been gawker related due to the accident on Westbound 94???? Because yeah...not like road conditions were bad this morning....