PAW PAW, Mich. – The Michigan State Police say one lane of eastbound I-94 remained closed late Thursday night, after a rollover tanker-truck crash Thursday afternoon. It resulted in the left lanes being shut down earlier in the day in both directions.
The location was near the Paw Paw Township/Antwerp Township line in Van Buren County at the 63 mile marker. County dispatchers say the tanker was heading westbound at the time, but it ended up in the median, and the crash resulted in big backups both east- and west-bound.
The tanker leaked a “significant amount of motor oil”, according to MSP Sergeant Paul Leonard. He told FOX 17 a second tanker truck was brought in and crews were still pumping spilled oil from the ground into the second tanker as part of the cleanup. That’s why one eastbound lane remained shut down.
The tanker was carrying approximately 4,400 gallons of motor oil. Authorities said most of the spill was confined to the median of the highway.
The driver was injured and taken to Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo. He’s been identified as a 66-year-old Detroit resident. MSP said he suffered a severe injury to his right hand and was undergoing surgery Thursday. Sgt. Leonard says the man was driving a tanker for Mega Transportation out of Detroit, and was en route from Hammond, Indiana to Detroit at the time of the crash.
You can see the FOX 17 Traffic Map here.
