Two crashes close portions of I-94 in Sylvan Township west of Chelsea

Two separate single-vehicle crashes closed both the east- and westbound lanes of I-94 in Sylvan Township near the Pierce Road exit overnight Friday, state police said.

The first crash critically injured a 51-year-old Brownstown man, said state police Trooper Steve Temelko. It occurred about 9:30 p.m. Friday west of Chelsea on eastbound 94 just before the Pierce Road exit when the man's 2001 Ford F-150 pickup truck left the road and overturned several times in a ditch, Temelko said.

The man, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was in critical condition at the University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor Friday, Temelko said.

He said the eastbound lanes were closed for about 90 minutes for crews to clean up the crash scene and investigate.

The second crash injured two people riding in a westbound four-door Kia sedan about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Temelko said.

An 18-year-old Ypsilanti man fell asleep at the wheel and lost control of the car, which rolled over several times in the roadway, Temelko said. The driver suffered apparent minor injuries, Temelko said, but his passenger, a 25-year-old man from Brooklyn, suffered more serious cuts and scrapes.

The men told police they were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

The westbound lanes were shut down for about 45 minutes to clean up debris and allow paramedics to treat the injured men, Temelko said.

Alcohol use is believed to be a factor in both crashes, he said. Neither of the crashes was on a curved portion of the freeway where several accidents have previously occurred.