MONROE COUNTY, MI (Toledo News Now) - All lanes of I-75 have reopened in Monroe County after a fatal semi truck accident Wednesday morning. The crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. on I-75 near Exit 12, Dunbar Road.
Michigan State Police say a semi driver lost control and hit the left side of the Dunbar Road overpass support. That sent the semi sideways, and another semi truck did not have time to stop. Police say the second semi hit the first truck between the tractor and the trailer, throwing the driver and his cargo onto the roadway.
Both semi-tractors caught fire and were immediately engulfed in flames. A passenger vehicle, unable to avoid the second semi-tractor, struck the rear-end of the truck's trailer.
Michigan State Police say the driver of the first semi, Kevin Dake, 43, of Bloomington, IL, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second semi-tractor driver was able to escape his burning vehicle, and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a Monroe hospital. The driver of the passenger vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was also transported to a Monroe hospital for treatment.
The crash closed the northbound lanes and backed up traffic.
I-75 northbound and southbound lanes were closed while the Monroe Township Fire Department extinguished the fire on both vehicles. In addition, bridge inspectors from the Michigan Department of Transportation were called to the scene to check the structural integrity of the overpass prior to opening all lanes of southbound I-75. The northbound lanes were completely blocked due to debris and were closed from Laplaisance Road to Front Street from the time of the crash until 2:30 p.m.
Around 11 a.m., the right and center lanes of southbound I-75 opened. One of the northbound lanes reopened just before 3 p.m. The remaining northbound lanes reopened just after 5 p.m.
Police say the other two northbound lanes should reopen some time Wednesday evening, due to an issue with the liquid laundry detergent that was spilled on the roadway. The slow clean-up is delaying the reopening of all lanes of travel.
At this time, MSP say it is unknown what caused the initial semi-tractor driver to lose control and strike the overpass supports, but further investigation is still pending by the MSP Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit. In addition, the medical examiner's office will be conducting an autopsy on the deceased driver looking for underlying medical conditions, which could have contributed to the crash.
