I-75 crash by the numbers: 25 separate accidents involving 59 cars and semi-trucks
I-75 crash: Nearly 50 vehicles in accident scene caused by snow squalls
State police say that about 59 vehicles were involved in 25 different crashes on I-75 in Detroit Monday.
FOX 2 - After a four-hour closure, I-75 northbound was reopened in Detroit following a massive crash scene caused by blinding snow squalls that blanketed SE Michigan Monday.
The freeway north of McNichols was reopened by 4 p.m. after about 25 separate crashes involving 59 different passenger cars and semi-trucks, according to Michigan State Police.
Troopers say that several vehicles also left the scene without a crash report following the incident, which caused communizing chaos with the freeway shut down back to the Davison.
No injuries were reported to state police - despite in one case a driver named Cooper whose car slammed into a semi-truck and came away unscathed.
"I slid underneath a semi-truck and it ripped the hood off my car," Cooper said. "The only thing that saved me were the side airbags and everything. I had to hop into the passenger seat and sit there for most of the time."
Officials urge caution on winter roads
According to state police, several small crashes may be the culprit rather than one large pile-up. Cooper, a driver who was caught in the middle of the chain of freeway crashes, said that the snow squall created a white-out condition. His car slammed underneath a semi-truck, he said - coming away injured somehow.
Drivers all shared the same story - white out conditions that seemed to come out of nowhere, covering the area and making the roadway a crash zone.
Motorist Caroline Inadeski avoided hitting any other vehicles, but was trapped in the traffic backup for hours.
"We were doing about 35-40 miles per hour," she said. "But all of a sudden, just chaos. Everyone slamming on their brakes and going everywhere."
Road conditions were challenging all day due to an active winter weather day that began with fierce winds and continued with blinding snow squalls.
"We continue to remind drivers to drive at a speed while they can control their vehicle," said F/Lt. Mike Shaw, Michigan State Police. "If you are driving at a speed or a distance where you need to slam on your brakes to stop, you are asking for trouble."