Like a falling row of dominoes, between 55 and 60 vehicles crashed into each other on Dec. 1, leading to the closing of I-75 between M-15 and Sashabaw Road, and keeping tow trucks busy for hours.
According to Sgt. Dave Wiegand of the Groveland Township Michigan State Police post, the chain reaction began when southbound traffic slowed near the Sashabaw Road overpass. Wiegand said a ‘tailgating? southbound driver rear-ended another vehicle and went into a spin, causing the first of approximately 30 different crashes.
Most bystanders blamed the sun and its reflective glare on the wet pavement on southbound I-75, which shortly after 9 a.m. was in just the right (or wrong) spot on windshields to reduce drivers? reaction times.
‘It was the worst crash I’ve ever seen,? said Oakland County Sheriff Lt. Dale LeBair, whose Independence Township deputies assisted state troopers in taking crash reports.
A state police press release said only three occupants were taken to area hospitals. Two were transported to Genesys Regional Medical Center, one with head and shoulder pain and the other with back and knee pain. A third was taken to POH Medical Center-Clarkston with a complaint of foot pain.
Bob Cesario, EMS coordinator for the Independence Township Fire Department, said only one vehicle required firefighters for a ‘minor extrication.? The remainder of those involved in the crash required no treatment or only minor first aid.
Firefighters investigated one fuel leak on the roadway, Cesario said.
The southbound freeway was closed for about two hours while emergency crews cleared the scene. The closing caused a heavier-than-normal bottleneck on M-15, and sheriff deputies responded shortly after 11 a.m. to a property damage crash in which one driver was cited for failure to keep adequate distance between vehicles.
Many of those involved in the crashes had to wait for alternate transportation from the scene. For five senior citizens, help came from the Independence Township Senior Activities Center. A request from the fire department was honored with the dispatch of one of the senior vans.
Driver Ed Eaglen took the group to a local convenience store, then to Fire Station #1, where firefighters hosted them until they could make other transportation arrangements.
‘We’re ready to help the community with our resources,? said Margaret Bartos, senior center coordinator.
The van service keeps quite busy with their regular schedule, and Bartos said some regular runs (such as those needing dialysis) have to take priority.
In this case, however, ?[Eaglen] kind of squeezed them in.?