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Slippery roads lead to numerous slideoff crashes in West Michigan

Posted at 11:26 PM, Nov 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-09 23:32:47-05

WEST MICHIGAN —  Police and towing companies are keeping busy tonight in West Michigan. The season’s first substantial snow is glazing the roadways and leading to numerous slideoffs. Winds gusting to around 30 miles per hour, along with low visibility in some locations, were contributing to the driving difficulties.

The Kent County Dispatch Authority tells FOX 17 there were – around 11 p.m. – six slideoffs or crashes along US-131 on the stretch between 68th Street and 108th Street in Byron Township, near the Allegan County line.

“Only minor injuries have been reported so far,” said the dispatcher. Meanwhile, there was a report of a car that slid off eastbound M-6 and struck a tree between East Paris and Patterson avenues. Not far from there, there was an injury crash along westbound M-6, west of East Paris Avenue. There was no immediate word on the extent of injuries involved.

In northern Allegan County, dispatchers reported “seven or eight” slideoffs and spin-outs on a stretch of US-131 from just north of Wayland to Dorr. No major injuries were involved, as of the time of this report.

Elsewhere, police were handling several slideoffs and fender-bender crashes in Barry and Calhoun counties.

Eaton County 911 tweeted that I-69 “just south of Butterfield near Olivet is closed for a semi on its side. Please drive careful – the roads are starting to get snow-covered.”

In Berrien County in southwest Michigan, southbound US-31 was closed at Sodus Parkway exit 22 for about an hour, beginning at 9:30 p.m. A dispatcher said she didn’t know if any serious injuries were involved, and had no information about how the crash occurred.

A National Weather Service Winter Weather Advisory was set to expire at 7 a.m. Saturday for the following counties: Kent- Ottawa – Allegan – Barry – Calhoun – Mason- Kalamazoo -Lake-Oceana-Newaygo-Muskegon-Van Buren.