KALAMAZOO (WKZO) – It’s a little worse for wear, but I-94 has now fully reopened to traffic.
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.
Cold temperatures delayed the transfer of a tanker loaded with formic acid, which has became thick and sluggish and difficult to pump. That delayed the removal of some other debris and destroyed semis in the eastbound lane.
Once that job was done, MDOT officials inspected the surface of the Interstate to determine if its safe to reopen.
Its all because of a massive chain-reaction accident involving nearly 200 vehicles that killed one man, injured about 2-dozen others, and has disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of motorists.
State Police say as of 8 a.m. Saturday they were still combatting flare ups and fires in the wreckage, and the clean-up was facing some significant and unexpected challenges.
76 semi-tractor trailer rigs were involved, including one filled with hazardous formic acid, which was also a challenge to remove.
State police have released the name of the man who was killed.
The victim’s name is Jean Larocque, a 57-year-old from St-Chrysostome, Quebec, Canada. The victim was driving a semi truck that was involved in the crash.
On the E/B side of the freeway, there were 26 semis and 34 cars involved in the pile up. This is also where the fire occurred. On the W/B side of I-94, there were 50 semis and 83 cars involved in the crash.
The number of vehicles that incurred damage in the I-94 crash is 193.
They not only had to battle the fire and the twisted metal, but the bone-chilling cold and wind chill factors that make just being outside dangerous.
The investigation is still underway as to the cause of the crash but they say it appears to be a classic white-out situation that begins with one small wreck and expands as more vehicles rush into the previous wrecks, not being able to see what lies ahead.
A Hazmat team was called to the area for one truck that was carrying hazardous materials. A chemical called formic acid that was quickly contained. An evacation of a three-mile radius was ordered at one point.
The order was later amended to only a one-mile radius for everyone to remain indoors before being rescinded.
Another truck hauling fireworks caught fire, triggering several explosions. Two firefighters and a tow truck operator suffered injuries when those fireworks let loose. They were all taken to area hospitals for evaluation.
Survivors of the huge pile-up were taken by bus to a school in Galesburg where the Red Cross set up a temporary shelter. There were many stories there of people working together to help get others out of harms way.
Most of the people taken to local emergency rooms were treated for bumps and bruises and released.
