I196 Crash

Update: I-196 reopens nine hours after semi, pickup crash kills two

by The Grand Rapids Press Monday September 07, 2009, 11:38 AM


Courtesy Photo | Tom De GraffA semi-truck and SUV burn after a crash at I-196 and Chicago Drive in Grandville.
UPDATE A lane of eastbound I-196 has reopened, westbound still closed
UPDATE 2: Victims in crash identified
UPDATE 3: At 5 p.m., both eastbound and westbound I-196 reopened
GRANDVILLE -- Both I-196 and Chicago Drive continue to be shutdown Monday after two people died in a fiery semi-truck and a sport-utility vehicle crash earlier in the morning.
Photos by Jon M. Brouwer | The Grand Rapids PressEmergency crews work the scene of a fatal accident on westbound I-196 at Chicago Drive Monday morning.
The crash happened on westbound I-196 about 8 a.m. this morning on the overpass that crosses Chicago Drive. Emergency responders arrived on the scene to find an SUV burning on the Int. 196 overpass, while the semi toppled over the embankment and was burning near Chicago Drive.
The driver of the SUV was pulled from the crash, but a passenger in that vehicle and the driver of the semi truck died.
A Michigan Department of Transportation official has been called to the scene to check the integrity of the highway overpass. There is no time set for the reopening of the roads.
"It's going to be a while," said Grandville Fire Department Lt. Dan Dreyer. "We have a lot of cleanup due to the oil and diesel fuel."
Officials are unsure how the accident happened. I-196 was down to one lane because of construction in the area of the accident.
Authorities said the crash caused the semi-truck to be covered in fuel and catch on fire. It is believed the truck was carrying pies and was not a tanker truck.
One of the trailer's axles also remained on the overpass, and one was in the roadway below. Debris was scattered along both roads.
Nearby resident Ethan Zanto said he saw smoke and drove to the site, and saw flames coming from the portion of the semi-truck on Chicago Drive.
"I have no idea what happened. Obviously something went terribly wrong," Zanto said.
Emergency crews work the scene of a fatal accident on westbound I-196 at Chicago Dr. Monday morning. A burned trailer lays next to Chicago Drive.