A winter storm sweeping through the Great Lakes region turned Michigan’s Interstate 94 into a dangerous mess on Thursday morning, leading to a dramatic crash involving a box truck and emergency vehicles.
Around 8:30 a.m., first responders were at the scene of a rollover accident in Comstock Township, helping out along the eastbound lanes of the highway. That’s when things took a turn for the worse. A 24-foot box truck, struggling to handle the slick, snowy roads, lost control. The truck jackknifed, crashing into fire department vehicles and a sheriff’s cruiser before flipping over.
Thankfully, none of the first responders were hurt in the chaos, though the truck driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. It was a scary reminder of how dangerous winter driving can be.
Kalamazoo County Sheriff Rick Fuller didn’t mince words when addressing the situation. “If you don’t have to travel in severe winter weather, stay off the roads,” he said. “If you absolutely must go out, slow down, be extra cautious, and give yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going. Your safety—and the safety of those helping others—depends on it.”
By 8 a.m., Comstock had already been hit with about five inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. For drivers, it was a stark reminder of how quickly winter weather can turn the roads into a skating rink.
