KALAMAZOO (WKZO) — It’s a little worse for wear, but I-94 has now fully reopened to traffic after Friday’s huge 193 vehicle pile-up on the interstate in eastern Kalamazoo County.
One man died, a truck driver from Quebec, but many feel its a miracle that more people were not killed or injured given the enormity of the crash, and the fact that 76-semi-tractor-trailer rigs slammed into each other and smaller vehicles. .
State Police say MDOT has inspected the road and found some minor pitting in the surface of the concrete at the 90-mile marker in the eastbound lane, where the worst of the fires occurred.
They plan to post a sign that the surface is a little rough in that area.
The east bound lanes were the second to open. The westbound lanes opened about five hour earlier.
Lt. Dale Hinz says the “Response to this event required a massive coordinated effort between state, local, and private entities. All response partners will be meeting in the very near future to debrief this incident, develop an after-action report, and compile lessons learned to better serve the community”.
He also says that none of this would have occurred if drivers were observing slower speeds and putting more distance between themselves and other cars when driving in inclement situations.
