State police: 1 person dead in 4-car crash on EB I-96

DETROIT (WJBK) - Police were at the scene of a fatal crash on eastbound I-96 at Evergreen Tuesday night, which shut down the freeway for nearly five hours.

The four-vehicle crash happened at 5 p.m. when traffic had come to a stop in the local lanes. A utility truck appears to have caused the crash, and was believed to have been distracted, according to Lt. Michael Shaw with Michigan State Police.

The utility truck struck a car which then hit two other vehicles, an Oldsmobile and Nissan. Both the truck and the unknown passenger car it struck then caught fire, according to Michigan State Police

The passenger car was badly burned and the person died inside, pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the utility truck was able to get out of his vehicle and there were non-life threatening injuries to the other two drivers involved, Shaw said.

"It appears to be (caused) by some kind of distracted driver," said Lt. Michael Shaw, Michigan State Police who noted the speed of the utility truck. 

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

"However it is evident from the evidence on scene that the at fault driver did not have enough distance to stop safely or may have been distracted. Please as this heavy travel weekend gets closer, watch your speed, keep your distance and keep your hands on the wheel," Shaw said in a Twitter post.

The freeway reopened around 11 p.m.

Stay with FOX 2 for more information as it becomes available.