Failed freeway merge caused I-75 dump truck spill

HAZEL PARK, Mich. (WJBK) - A car that failed to yield when entering the freeway caused the dump truck spill that closed I-75 for several hours, police said Wednesday.

The incident happened just after 11 a.m. north of Meyers Avenue in Detroit and shut the northbound freeway down to one lane.

SEE ALSO: Northbound 75 reopened in Detroit after dump truck flips, loses load

Michigan State Police say a driver had been merging onto the freeway but apparently failed to yield, hitting the side of the dump truck, causing the truck driver to lose control.

"Slid across the freeway, hit that ... rail then probably his momentum and whatnot spun him out and rolled it," said Chief Richard Story of the Hazel Park Fire Department.

Coming to a stop, everything in both trailers of the truck spilled onto the freeway. The truck driver was trapped inside.

Larry Dudley was sitting on his front porch when he heard the loud crash and jumped to help.

"I jumped over the fence to go down there and help because the driver, he tried to get out of his truck but the door kept shutting," he said.

Calling 911, and with help from another witness, the driver of the truck was pulled out through the window.

"I was down there with him. He said he was OK but his left side was hurting, so we suggested he go to the hospital," Dudley said.

Witnesses say the woman driving the other car appeared to be in shock.

She was also taken to the hospital as a precaution. Crews spent hours cleaning up the mess.

"Its mostly debris, like automotive parts, foam, dirt -- it's a very weird load, but in our eyes, it's a good load," Story said.

Story says this accident could have been much worse, especially if that truck driver had been hauling hazardous material.

"Somebody could've died here for sure," he said.

Michigan State Police investigating the accident say it appears the driver of that car is at fault in the accident but everyone is breathing a sigh of relief.

"Somebody was looking down on them today. Everybody had their seat belts on, airbag went off in car," Story said.