Sleepy Driver Causes Fiery Crash On I-94
DETROIT (WWJ) - A fiery accident is causing major traffic backups on both directions of I-94 Thursday morning.
WWJ's John Bailey said traffic on westbound I-94 is being routed off the freeway at West Grand Boulevard. Eastbound I-94 was closed earlier, but reopened around 8:40 a.m.
The accident happened around 5:30 a.m. near Livernois, when the driver of an 18-wheeler traveling westbound on I-94 apparently fell asleep and crashed through the median wall. The truck's cab ended up underneath a railroad bridge on eastbound I-94 and caught fire, with its trailer still on the westbound side of the freeway.
The truck driver, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital with a broken ankle. No other injuries were reported.
Bill Lilly of Dearborn Heights was traveling about 15 cars behind the truck when it crashed. He said debris was flying everywhere as drivers slammed on their brakes.
"I could see it in their eyes, they were terrified. There were cars locked up sideways and then of course you have the older cars and they couldn't stop that well. There were people inches, I mean literally inches from hitting other cars," Lilly told WWJ's Ron Dewey.
No word on how long the closures will last.
For the latest from the roads, stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 during Traffic and Weather on the 8s, 24-hours a day. Check for recent traffic incidents now on the CBS Detroit Traffic Page.
