According to Michigan State Police, multiple traffic accidents occurred on freeways and roads as a result of the winter storm that hit lower Michigan on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
One of the accidents involved a fire truck being pulled over at an emergency scene in West Michigan. The accident occurred around 8:06 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 196 in Grandville, which is southwest of Grand Rapids.
Troopers from the MSP’s Grand Rapids post said their officers and the Grandville Fire Department were dispatched to the scene to check on a driver who sustained minor injuries after a box truck ran off the road and rolled onto its side.
“As fire department personnel were attending to the driver, a second vehicle struck the back of the parked, fully illuminated firetruck,” investigators said. “That driver was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. Thankfully, no firefighters were injured.
MSP reported dealing with 30 preventable crashes in Metro Detroit between midnight and 9:45 a.m. on Thursday. A common theme was driving too quickly for the conditions and losing control of the vehicle. This is in addition to the 19 “preventable traffic crashes” that the post handled before midnight.
“Don’t forget, side streets and neighborhoods will be worse than freeways for a while,” Metro Detroit post troopers warned Thursday morning.
Ahead of the snow, troopers from Metro South Post and officers from Dearborn, Romulus, and Van Buren townships established a traffic detail on I-94. The team made more than 200 stops on Wednesday afternoon and evening, issuing warnings and citations for speeding, distracted driving, and other “dangerous behaviors.”
The next winter storm in Metro Detroit is expected this weekend.
