Car-semi truck crash seriously injures driver; partially shuts down freeway
One person was seriously injured when this car and semi collided on US-23 this afternoon. Firefighters from Pittsfield Township used the Jaws of Life to free the driver of the car, who was taken to the hospital, before this picture was taken.
Photo courtesy of Pittsfield Township Fire Department
A crash involving a car and semi tractor-trailer truck seriously injured a woman and partially shut down US-23 this afternoon.
The semi and the car both left the freeway near Packard Road and came to rest in a wooded area behind Home Depot on Carpenter Road, Pittsfield Township firefighters said.
Firefighters used extrication equipment to free the driver of the car, who was taken to an area hospital in serious condition. Pittsfield Township Fire Chief said the woman was conscious at the scene.
The crash caused extensive damage to both vehicles, firefighters said.
A dispatcher with the Washtenaw County sheriff's department said one lane of northbound US-23 and both ramps from Interstate 94 to US-23 north had also been closed.
Fuel and steel reinforcing rods or rebar had been spilled in the area, the dispatcher said.
The crash occurred shortly before 1 p.m.
Police officers talk at the scene of a rollover crash involving a semi truck and car Monday afternoon. The car had already been removed when this photo was taken, but the semi had yet to be righted.
AnnArbor.com | Danny Shaw
Traffic backups are shown in red and black in both directions on US-23.
Comments
joe.blow
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 3:09 a.m.
Come on AA, 23 and 94 should both be 3-4 lane roads. You're unwillingness to expand is killing and hurting people!
jns131
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 2:02 a.m.
I know that area well. Merging into 23 north traffic from 94 is a nightmare. People do not slow down at all for anyone who is merging from that section. Glad to hear both walked. This could have gone a whole lot worse.
grimmk
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 4:38 a.m.
So many times I'm trying to merge (on any highway) and there is someone there blocking me from getting in. They won't slow down or speed up to let me in. They match my speed. It goes both ways. Yes, you should match the speed on on coming traffic to merge, find a spot and merge in it, but you also get the people completely ignoring merging traffic. So they you have to merge on the side of the road which can have debris.
AlfaElan
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 2:20 a.m.
Why would traffic on us-23 have to slow down for merging traffic? All they are responsible for is making enough room for cars to merge in. It is the responsibility of the merging traffic to match the speed of traffic on the freeway. More than once I have seen an accident almost happen because someone didn't even try to accelerate until they were at the end of the acceleration lane. They should be at the speed of traffic with a gap picked out and their speed matched to nobody has to slow down.
justcurious
Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 11:25 p.m.
I'll be thinking about both of these drivers and hoping that they will be able to recover from this. It does look like a very bad accident.
WalkingJoe
Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 8:51 p.m.
I was walking my dogs and saw a news helicopter hovering over that vicinity and wondered what had happened. From the looks of that car in the picture it looks like it could have been much worse. Hoping the woman makes a full and speedy recovery.
kdadnick
Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 8:44 p.m.
I'm not sure what was happening today. There was an accident a few miles north of this one, but from the southbound lanes of 23. That one seemed odd enough, then I came upon this one. The weather is beautiful outside. Perhaps we become more complacent about driving when we have a 40+ degree, sunny day in the middle of January.