Lansing State Journal:At least 2 dead in vehicle pileups on I-96 near Lansing
At least two people died and more than 25 others were injured in multiple pileups involving more than 100 vehicles in thick fog Wednesday afternoon on eastbound Interstate 96 east of Lansing, authorities said.
Drive CAREFULLY in the sloppy Michigan winter weather, folks…
The couple said their son called them from a cell phone on I-96 and told them, “I’m standing here in the road and I’m not sure how I got here.” They said Christopher Morrow told them his Toyota Celica “folded up like an accordion” when it crashed.
Strangely enough, it wasn’t Winter weather, but rather Spring-like weather that caused the problem. An unseasonably warm 50-degree January day pushed a warm wind across the snow and just vaporized it, causing some seriously heavy fog. The roads were wet, but not icy or snowy.
Final count was over 200 cars, 2 dead, 35 or so injured. All in all, pretty lucky given the number of vehicles involved.
While it sounds dramatic and all, the Celica (like most cars) is built to crumple like an accordian intentionally, which helps protect the meatbags inside from the force of the impact.