Hudsonville, Michigan– More than 100 vehicles collided with each other or slid off a highway in Michigan on Monday, after snow fed by the Great Lakes blanketed the state.
The massive collision prompted Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 Monday morning in southwest Grand Rapids while officials worked to remove all the vehicles, including more than 30 semi-trailer trucks. State police said there were several injuries, but no deaths were reported.
The incident is just the latest impact of a major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about extremely cold temperatures or the potential for winter storms across several states starting in northern Minnesota and extending south and east into Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
1 day agosnow fell as far south as the Florida Panhandle and made it difficult for football players to hold on to the ball during playoff games in Massachusetts and Chicago. Temperatures could drop overnight into Tuesday across much of north-central Florida and southeast Georgia, forecasters warned Monday.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan He said Numerous collisions and stabbings were reported along with several cars sliding off the road. Stranded motorists were taken by buses to Hudsonville High School, where they could call for help or arrange a ride.
Officials expected the road to be closed for several hours during the cleanup operation.
One company helping to remove stuck cars, Grand Valley Towing, sent more than a dozen of its trucks to the scene. Many towing companies responded in the extremely cold weather.
“We’re trying to get as many vehicles out of there as quickly as possible so we can get the road open again,” said Director Jeff Westfield.
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Associated Press writers Julie Walker contributed from New York, and Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.