Michigan State Police (USA) said on January 19 (US time) that a chain collision involving about 100 vehicles occurred on thick snow-covered roads in Michigan, injuring many people but no one is believed to have died. Functional forces are urgently cleaning up the scene and restoring traffic.
According to information from law enforcement agencies, the incident occurred on the I-196 highway corridor, where many heavy trucks and cars collided in slippery road conditions. Many vehicles slipped off the lane in a series of chain collisions, causing this crowded highway to close for many hours.
Mr. Pedro Mata Jr. recounted that while driving at a speed of about 32-40 km/h, he could hardly see the cars in front due to heavy snow blowing through the road surface. Although he managed to stop the pickup truck safely, he still decided to put the car in the median strip to avoid the risk of being hit from behind. He said that it felt very scary to only hear continuous collisions behind without being able to clearly observe the situation.
The incident occurred in the morning and involved about 30 to 40 tractor-trailers being gathered, blocking the expressway. Functional forces had to block the area to ensure safety and proceed to clear vehicles.
Authorities called on people to slow down and limit movement in conditions described as dangerous, as a winter storm continues to cause widespread snowfall. Temperatures are forecast to drop sharply, to minus 22 degrees Celsius, including cold winds.
The US National Weather Service warns that heavy snowfall with strong winds will continue, with snow accumulation at night possibly reaching about 10cm, raising the total snowfall of this storm in some southwestern and central western Michigan areas to more than 35cm. Moving in the area is recommended not to be carried out.
