1 dead as 50-vehicle pileup closes US 23 near Ann Arbor

Jan. 10--One person is dead after a 50-vehicle pileup with two jack-knifed semi trucks and other crashes closed southbound U.S. 23 south of Ann Arbor. The highway isn't expected to reopen for at least several hours.

At least two people were extricated from vehicles, and a Survival Flight helicopter wasn't able to fly because of the wintry conditions, authorities said. Traffic detours are underway around the crashes near the Carpenter Road exit in Milan, in Washtenaw County. U.S. 23 is closed southbound from Willis Road for a few miles into Milan at Plank Road.

About a mile north of the Carpenter exit, a crash northbound at Willow Road is affecting northbound traffic on U.S. 23 as well.

White-out conditions, gusty winds and icy roads led to the smash-up involving 50 vehicles.

"(U.S.) 23 was a solid sheet of ice," Capt. Greg Payeur of Pittsfield Township Fire said. "It was slipping and sliding everywhere -- walking or driving."

The fire agency was called in to assist others with the mess. He said firefighters couldn't go more than 15 or 20 m.p.h. on the way to the scene, and "you were flirting with disaster going that fast."

Many fuel spills, heavily damaged tractor-trailers and numerous vehicles in with damage ranging from minor to "catastrophic" were visible along the crash scene, Payeur said. At the front, two tractor-trailers collided, with the front of the cab "completely off the train" on one of them, along with a car pinned beneath the trailer.

Multiple agencies are working to help clear the mess that started just after 1 p.m., but Washtenaw County Sheriff spokesman Derrick Jackson said it's difficult to say when all lanes will be reopened. The northbound crash resulted in a partial lane closure.

An Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus was brought on-scene to provide a warming shelter.

Commuters are advised to go slow across southern and southeast Michigan today, as numerous slide-offs and spin-outs have been reported. Metro Detroit's traffic incidents have largely been cleared, and afternoon commutes are expected to go much more smoothly than they did this morning.

Most of the snowfall has ended, having dropped about 2 to 3 inches across the metro area. Light snow showers and wind gusts up to 30 m.p.h. are expected later today.

"The one thing that's really been hampering the roads, though, is that the temperatures still are right around 10 to 15 degrees, which is where they're going to stay all day," National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Considine said, adding that such cold "makes salt a little more difficult to melt the ice."

The MDOT traffic incidents website reported about 10 incidents affecting traffic at about 2 p.m.

Considine said some snow showers later Friday could bring less than an inch of accumulation, with blowing snow and gusty winds. Wind chills today are expected to be between -10 and -15, dipping as far as -20 degrees tonight.

Saturday's temperatures are expected to be in the teens, with temperatures rising to the upper 20s on Sunday. The next chance of snow is Sunday night, when Considine said odds are about 50%.

Contact Robert Allen at rallen@freepress.com or @rallenMI

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