Whiteout conditions on Interstate 196 near Grand Rapids, triggered a massive crash involving cars and semitrailer trucks and leaving numerous people injured

Associated Press

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid off an interstate in Michigan on Monday as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state.

The massive pileup prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 Monday morning just southwest of Grand Rapids while officials worked to remove all the vehicles, including more than 30 semitrailer trucks. The State Police said there were numerous injuries, but no deaths had been reported.

| READ NEXT: 2 key MCI strategies for incident commanders

Pedro Mata Jr. said he could barely see the cars in front of him as the snow blew across the road while driving 20-25 mph (32-40 kph) before the crash. He was able to stop his pickup safely, but then decided to pull his truck off the road into the median to avoid being hit from behind.

“It was a little scary just listening to everything, the bangs and booms behind you. I saw what was in front of me. I couldn’t see what was behind me exactly,” Mata said.

The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for winter storms across several states starting in northern Minnesota and stretching south and east into Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

A day earlier, snow fell as far south as the Florida Panhandle and made it harder for football players to hang onto the ball during playoff games in Massachusetts and Chicago. Forecasters warned Monday that freezing temperatures are possible overnight into Tuesday across much of north-central Florida and southeast Georgia.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s office in Michigan said multiple crashes and jack-knifed semis were reported along with numerous cars that slid off the road. Stranded motorists were being bused to Hudsonville High School, where they could call for help or arrange a ride.

Officials expected the road to be closed for several hours during the cleanup.

One of the companies helping remove the stranded cars, Grand Valley Towing, sent more than a dozen of its trucks to the scene of the chain-reaction crash. Several towing companies responded in the brutally cold weather.

“We’re trying to get as many vehicles out of there as quickly as possible, so we can get the road opened back up,” manager Jeff Westveld said.

After a yearlong delay and a compromise with Mayor Justin Bibb, City Council is set to vote on creating a “care response” that dispatches clinicians with EMS to certain mental health emergencies

January 19, 2026 08:00 AM

Four Baltimore firefighters suffered minor injuries after their ladder truck slid into a parked truck while responding to a fire

January 20, 2026 08:59 AM

Bystanders spotted a man 10–15 feet down a crevice in Eugene, and firefighters rescued him after finding him pinned and unresponsive with a body temperature of 76 degrees

January 20, 2026 09:33 AM

The Sutphen SPH100 features a longer ladder and enhanced safety features

January 19, 2026 12:00 PM

Program provides departments with the funding to address the risks of diesel exhaust and airborne contaminants

January 08, 2026 06:25 PM