Police: Semi truck rolled over on I-94 in Ann Arbor after SUV hit it
A semi truck lies on its side Monday morning after a rollover accident that sent four people to the hospital on Interstate 94. Both the eastbound and westbound lanes had to be closed.
A semi truck rolled over onto its side after it was hit by an SUV whose driver was attempting to pass it on the right Monday morning, police said.
Sgt. Mark Thompson, of the Michigan State Police, said the semi truck was heading east on Interstate 94 at Jackson Road in the left lane and was being passed by the Ford Explorer, which was in the right lane. The vehicles were coming up to the entrance ramp when a box truck was entering the freeway, Thompson said.
The driver of the SUV moved the vehicle into the left lane and struck the semi truck, causing the driver to lose control of the truck. The semi hit the median wall and crashed through it before rolling over onto its passenger side, Thompson said. The crash happened about 10:50 a.m.
No vehicles traveling west were involved in the accident, according to Thompson.
Huron Valley Ambulance took four people to the University of Michigan Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Ann Arbor Fire Department extricated the injured people from their vehicles, Thompson said.
The Ann Arbor Police Department assisted with closing both the eastbound and westbound lanes and directing traffic, Thompson said. The Washtenaw County Road Commission assisted with lane closures and bringing in equipment to help clean up debris from the road, which was back open by about 2:10 p.m. Monday.
Ann Arbor Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Vogel said four cars were also involved in a fender-bender accident on eastbound I-94 west of Jackson Road. No injuries were reported from that crash.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Ann English
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 10:52 p.m.
PhillyCheeseSteak and Silly Sally, I remember that morning of January 7, 2006 because of the icy condition of M-14 I drove on and two people dying in other places around the county. Amy Schnearle-Pennywitt, a firefighter who had been married for just a few months, was helping a motorist on that I-94 bridge over Jackson Road when another vehicle slid out of control and hit her, killing her. On Michigan Avenue south of Ann Arbor, Eric Namesnik, a swimmer for the U of M, also died that morning as a result of the icy road. I forgot about how drivers tend to gawk at accidents as they go by; the last time I was slowed down on US-23 because of an accident, we all drove slowly because the police had closed one lane leading to where a car went yards off the freeway, not because of gawking. Any lane closure anywhere (yes, including westbound I-94 over Jackson Road) will do that, but I figure the gawking started before the fast lane westbound was closed.
Milo Jones
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 1:52 a.m.
It's the onramp. What they City or road people should do is buy the old empty hotel lot there and make a proper onramp there. There is plenty of room.
Maxwell
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 7:30 p.m.
Hey Kyle - mind telling me what I said that warranted the removal of my comment?
Maxwell
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 8:58 p.m.
Thanks for the info -
Rich Rezler
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 7:43 p.m.
Sorry, hyperlink didn't work: http://www.annarbor.com/about/annarborcom-conversation-guidelines-comment-moderation/
Rich Rezler
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 7:42 p.m.
Hi Maxwell. Kyle did not remove your comment (nor did I, but I happen to be moderating comments currently). I looked back at the comment that was removed and I'd say that it was removed for conflicting with two of our commenting guidelines: Insensitivity to victims of accidents and presuming fault. You can review our comment policy here.
Ponycar
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 3:27 p.m.
With the recently demolished Michigan Inn and Wall Street restaurant, maybe there's a way to do a property swap and make a better on ramp? Or somehow fit a new on-ramp next to the cemetery on the other side of the bridge crossing over Jackson.
Tesla
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 6:37 p.m.
Thats a great idea. Not sure it could be made possible, but. Good thinkin.
Jim Osborn
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 11:42 a.m.
This on-ramp is in close competition with the eastbound one at Barton Drive and M-14. That one has a 90-degree turn after a stop sign! The solution to both is simple, but will never happen due to Federal highway regulations that remove local and state discretion. The solution is to remove the shoulder for the next 1/8 of a mile (500 feet) or even longer, and make it into an acceleration lane. I have never seen a car stopped on either shoulder while I have seen many cars have a difficult time merging. Likewise, some of the center shoulder could be used for this purpose. About 7 years ago, improvements to the Barton Drive onramp were discussed and lengthening the onramp was not allowed, due to federal law, since they HAD to be about ΒΌ mile or so and this placed it too close to the US-23 north merger. Common sense says that even acceleration or merging lane of 200 feet would improve safety. I would prefer that speed limits on freeways be raised higher than 70 MPH, but even I was shocked that the state raised it from 55 to 65 on M-14 near Barton without improving the onramps, and with the blind curve, traffic backs up and it can be hard to stop on icy roads. I never speed in that area, as it is just too dangerous. The state, does not improve dangerous onramps and increases speed limits.
tommy_t
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 2:49 a.m.
It is a dangerous on ramp for that curve and a bad spot in the winter. If you are local you are more aware/alert when using it than those just passing by on the highway. Which reminds me - somebody please put up a small article on the proper use of these proliferating round-abouts before I do some serious damage. I know about yielding to the left but which lane should you get in for the spoke you want to take?
actionjackson
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 11:58 a.m.
In Brighton the spokes are clearly marked with large white arrows and signs that inform the driver which lane to follow for their egress. The speed limit is 20mph and that leaves one plenty of time to make their decision.
treetowncartel
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 2:40 a.m.
Ed Vielmetti did a piece a few years back about the corner of Jackson and Maple. Within that comment section people discussed the reason for the extreme curve here. It is not clear if the shopping center, the neighborhood to the west or the cemetary are the reasons they decided not to cut the corner when they mapped out the interstate here.
getyourstorystraightfirst
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 1:14 a.m.
on 94 there are way too many people driving SLOW in the left lane. we were all taught in drivers education that the left lane is the passing lane!! the police need to start enforcing this!!!!!!
a2girl
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 1:35 a.m.
Read Tesla's comment above. He/She is clearly familiar with this section of 94.
Michigan Man
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 12:52 a.m.
This section of I-94 has caused death, injury, heartbreak and mayhem for decades. The federal government just pissed away $1 million on this Las Vegas GSA corrupt event. It is past time that our local, county, state and federal elected officers found the money and corrected this hazard to our safety and public health once and for all. Why does it take some pissant like me to figure this out? Enough! Get this stretch of I-94 fixed!!
clownfish
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 12:49 p.m.
Where were you when the govt "pissed away" $1,000,000,000,000 in Iraq? They got some nice roads built with your money!
Tesla
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 12:24 a.m.
That entrance ramp is what it is. The problem is drivers not yielding to incoming traffic as they are clearly and repeatedly warned as they approach on eastbound 94 coming from Zeeb. Tricky? Sure. But if everyone is driving right and paying attention and being patient and courteous....it works fine and does tens of thousands of times a day. The truck driver in this case moved over as he should have to allow oncoming traffic to enter. The suv driver got impatient, passed on the right and left himself with no alternatives once he realized a truck or another vehicle was entering the highway. The crash....not an accident, was meant to be, was seemingly inevitable, but avoidable and had nothing to do with the road design.
Ann English
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 11:43 p.m.
No westbound vehicles were involved in the accident? The semitruck went into the westbound lane nearest the left eastbound lane it had been in. It must have caught westbound drivers by surprise to see a big vehicle facing them as they rounded the curve over Jackson Road. Everybody traveling west slowed down to let the motorists entering westbound I-94 from Jackson Road in. Those blue roofs in the photo are most likely those of businesses in the Kmart Plaza, farthest away from Maple Road. Sometimes I wonder if the curving freeway between entrance and exit ramps from and to Jackson Road for WESTBOUND I-94 drivers at least, causes them to lose control of their vehicles; I've heard of accidents right there on the bridge for years.
Silly Sally
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 12:05 p.m.
Everyone slowed down to look at the accident, not to let traffic "from Jackson Road in"
Ann English
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 11:18 p.m.
In all the years I've used that entrance ramp onto eastbound I-94, I've never seen another vehicle keep going straight through that bend in the entrance ramp, although I once saw, during one winter, a vehicle that slid off the ramp after making the turn, and it was already attended to by police. I was able to just drive past it.
PhillyCheeseSteak
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 1:35 p.m.
There was a fatal accident at that location several years ago. If memory serves, an emergency response worker was outside their vehicle assisting a motorist who had spun out because of icy road conditions and that person (firefighter? EMT?) was hit and killed. It's a very poorly designed entrance ramp and many drivers already on I-94 do not pay attention to the large sign with flashing lights indicating that slow vehicles are entering there. I've seen cars move from the left lane to the right lane right where the incoming cars are merging. Also there seems to be a growing number of drivers who think that merging on to a highway is a 'right', and do not accelerlate/de-accelerate according to traffic.
ypsicat
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 11 p.m.
I was inbound on Jackson at about 11:30 a.m. and figured something bad must have happened with all of the traffic exiting. Glad no one was killed or horribly maimed, that was very lucky. It is a dangerous on ramp, but I gotta say one of my pet peeves is people passing on the right. Especially when I've just passed, say, a semi and I'm waiting for enough clearance to get back over. I'm looking in my rear-view and see someone right on my tail who obviously is waiting for THEIR clearance so they can beat me over into the right lane. ARGH! Aggressive idiots. This even happens when there are three lanes and I'm in the middle, that's when my blood really boils. It's not like I'm driving slow, either. I'm usually at or a little above the speed limit. End of rant.
Matt Cooper
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 10:25 p.m.
While you good folks are all musing on about how dangerous that curve is, let me simply say that I, for one, am glad there were no fatalities or serious injuries. Thank God all parties got out alive and apparantly in one piece.
Ron Granger
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:45 p.m.
What does it take for car drivers to be careful and emphasize safety?
Left is Right
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 4:02 a.m.
As well as roadway designs to buffer the impact of the inevitable idiots.
motorcycleminer
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 10:48 a.m.
Brains.....
leezee
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:21 p.m.
I HATE that entrance ramp!! It's so poorly designed - can't see the merging traffic until the last second. Good thing no one was killed!
Ron Granger
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:46 p.m.
It's easy - I just assume someone will merge, as that is usually the case.
mbill
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:10 p.m.
Finding out your not special or the most important person on the highway... Out of my WAY.
Kyle Feldscher
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:08 p.m.
I mistakenly wrote all lanes were open at 2:10 p.m. Wednesday. It was, in fact, today. That's been changed.
Doug Coombe
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 8:55 p.m.
That's arguably the most dangerous/poorly designed entrance ramp on all of I-94 in Michigan.
aawolve
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 12:32 p.m.
The only surprising aspect of this incident is that this doesn't happen almost every day. I fear that ramp.
Jim Osborn
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 11:49 a.m.
This on-ramp is in close competition with the eastbound one at Barton Drive and M-14. That one has a 90-degree turn after a stop sign! The solution to both is simple, but will never happen due to Federal highway regulations that remove local and state discretion. The solution is to remove the shoulder for the next 1/8 of a mile (500 feet) or even longer, and make it into an acceleration lane. I have never seen a car stopped on either shoulder while I have seen many cars have a difficult time merging. Likewise, some of the center shoulder could be used for this purpose.
motorcycleminer
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 10:47 a.m.
It's right behind the east bound exit to State st...
grimmk
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 12:29 a.m.
I drive down to Zeeb and get on 94 there. It's worth the extra mileage. That whole on ramp needs to be changed DRASTICALLY.
Cory
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:27 p.m.
There's no "Arguably" about it. I used to work on Jackson Rd. and took that on-ramp all the time. It's a DEATH TRAP! Seriously, who would design a 90 degree turn literally 30' from a highway? I've seen numerous cars slide through that bend (and am surprised there aren't more accidents during the winter because of it). And to put it at the bottom of a hill? INSANE! If it were on a normal road, it would have a little yellow sign that said "15mph turn". Then you get maybe 1/4 mile to GUN IT while trying to merge into 70mph traffic. I used to squeal all 4 tires around that corner just trying to keep my speed up so that I could merge without a 50mph speed difference between me and the highway traffic. On the legality of it all. Section 637.b makes the SUV legal to pass on the right, and the posted signs that say "Keep left, slow traffic entering highway" just before the death trap on-ramp make it legal for the truck to be in the left lane. That being said, the SUV driver is an idiot, and I hope they get a ticket.
YpsiLarry
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:22 p.m.
I once counted 13 separate patches and damaged spots on that wall before they rebuilt it and that was over a decade ago. I wonder what the count is back up to?
justcurious
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 8:30 p.m.
Cars should never pass semis on the right. It may even be illegal.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 1 p.m.
Agree with Silly Sally. The merging vehicle has the responsibility to do so in an orderly manner. It's nice when people move over for you, and truck often do if they can do it safely, but they are not required to. If trucks are not moving over for you, it's likely because it would cause a problem with some other vehicle around them that you might not even be able to see.
Silly Sally
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : noon
@AnnEnglish - Why should your merging force another vehicle, especially a large truck to move over for you? Unless it is bumper-to-bumper traffic, you should time your entry into an empty space, speeding up or slowing down and then match your speed with that of traffic. Don't expect others to "move over for me" How selfish or you. Practice, or Pioneer High School may offer classes.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 1:32 a.m.
Truck drivers who know are familiar with The Death Ramp routinely move over to the left lane, knowing some knucklehead will overshoot the ramp, especially in the snow. What this guy got for his courtesy was some other knucklehead passing him on the right.
Ann English
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 11:10 p.m.
If trucks are supposed to stay in the right lane of a freeway unless passing, that would explain why they don't move over for me when I merge with them on westbound I-94 from northbound State Street. I expect even the SUV driver causing this accident knows better than to drive in the right lane of a street when a truck is making a wide right turn from its lane. If words warning of what trucks do aren't enough, the pictures of what happens to smaller vehicles in the right lane tells it graphically.
YpsiLarry
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:13 p.m.
OK looks like it is a little more complicated that I thought. 257.637 Overtaking and passing on right of another vehicle; conditions; violation as civil infraction. Sec. 637. (1) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only if 1 or more of the following conditions exist: (a) When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn. (b) Upon a street or highway with unobstructed pavement not occupied by parked vehicles of sufficient width for 2 or more lines of moving vehicles in each direction and when the vehicles are moving in substantially continuous lanes of traffic. (c) Upon a 1-way street, or upon a roadway on which traffic is restricted to 1 direction of movement, where the roadway is free from obstructions and of sufficient width for 2 or more lines of moving vehicles and when the vehicles are moving in substantially continuous lanes of traffic. (2) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass another vehicle upon the right only under conditions permitting the overtaking and passing in safety. The driver of a vehicle shall not overtake and pass another vehicle upon the right by driving off the pavement or main-traveled portion of the roadway. (3) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction.
YpsiLarry
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:10 p.m.
Neither of those things are illegal in Michigan, unless specifically posted, or the passing on the right involves getting on the shoulder. Also the truck was smart to be left at that on-ramp I always am unless traffic is extremely light.
drewk
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:08 p.m.
It is definitely illegal to pass any vehicle on the right side while on a freeway in Michigan
paul
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 8:49 p.m.
I thought trucks were supposed to stay in the right lane unless passing?
Rich
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 8:20 p.m.
Not enough emphasis in driving education is spent on how to: (1) properly merge to a highway under different traffic conditions (either speed up or slow down) and (2) properly deal with merging traffic (speed up, slow down, or change lanes).
Jim Osborn
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 : 12:11 p.m.
In other states, a driver must take the written test every 4 years. This forces people to read the Driver's Handbook of Michigan driving laws and keep current. Under our current system, people may only know what they remember from years ago when they were in high school. People from other states who move to Michigan never take this test, and laws in other states do differ. Taking the written test can take only 5 minutes, if you know the laws. Reading the handbook takes about 30 minutes to an hour, which all should be doing.