Local News
One victim killed in fiery crash on I-96 in Ingham County identified
The driver of the semi-truck also suffered serious burn injuries.
A tragic multi-vehicle accident on westbound I-96 in Ingham County late Saturday night left four people dead and 17 others injured.
The crash occurred around 11:42 p.m. near M-52 in the Webberville area, resulting in a devastating pile-up involving around 15 vehicles, many of which caught fire.
The accident happened shortly after Michigan State Police (MSP) had temporarily closed the highway to allow DTE Energy crews to work on power lines over the expressway. When authorities reopened the road, some vehicles remained stopped on the expressway.
As traffic was resuming, a semi-truck with a trailer, unable to see or stop in time, collided with the stationary vehicles.
The collision triggered a fiery chain reaction, with the semi-truck and numerous other vehicles igniting upon impact.
According to MSP, the victims who lost their lives included a 29-year-old man from Carson City who was driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck. Also among the deceased were three individuals from Lansing: a 20-year-old woman, a 43-year-old woman, and 47-year-old Brandon Glasscoe.
Tragically, three of the four fatalities occurred in a single vehicle, while the driver of the pickup truck was ejected and killed upon impact.
Seventeen additional people sustained serious injuries and were transported to University of Michigan Health-Sparrow and McLaren Hospitals in Lansing.
The driver of the semi-truck also suffered serious burn injuries.
The intense fire resulting from the crash led to prolonged closures on I-96 and M-52 as crews from the Michigan Department of Transportation assessed the structural integrity of the overpass and cleared the extensive wreckage.
The area remained closed for nearly 24 hours while emergency responders and MDOT worked to make the scene safe for reopening.
Access to westbound I-96 near Webberville was finally restored on Monday morning, allowing traffic to resume after extensive clean-up efforts.
This incident is under ongoing investigation by the Michigan State Police, who continue to gather information to understand all contributing factors in this horrific accident.
Emergency crews in Bethesda, Montgomery County, responded to a serious trench collapse Tuesday at a work site in the 8100 block of Kentbury Drive, where two workers became trapped in a deep excavation.
According to initial reports, the incident involved a 10 to 12-foot-deep trench that collapsed while the workers were inside.
One victim was reported to be buried up to the waist, while the second victim was buried up to the head, creating an urgent and dangerous situation for responders.
Specialized rescue teams from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service were dispatched to the scene and initiated a technical trench rescue operation.
These types of incidents require careful stabilization of the surrounding soil and trench walls to prevent additional collapse while rescuers work to safely reach and extract the trapped individuals.
Emergency personnel secured the area and began implementing protective measures, including shoring the trench to stabilize the excavation site before attempting to free the victims.
The condition of the trapped workers has not yet been released.
Rescue operations were ongoing as crews worked methodically to remove soil and safely extricate the victims.
Officials are expected to provide further updates as the rescue effort continues and investigators determine what led to the collapse.