Fatal I-75 crash ends with mangled vehicles, injured MDOT workers, and thousands of cans strewn about

Fatal semi crash on I-75 leaves carnage on the highway

A massive crash on I-75 in Monroe County shut down northbound lanes for much of Tuesday as clean-up of the wreck included mangled vehicles, spilled aluminum cans, and more debris.

FRENCHTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Carnage across the highway, mangled vehicles, and thousands of aluminum cans were part of the debris after a fatal crash on I-75 on Tuesday morning.

The driver of a semi-truck was killed after colliding with an MDOT vehicle around 9:45 a.m. while several road crew members also with injuries.

Big picture view:

The driver of a semi-truck is dead while several road crew workers escaped with minor injuries after a devastating crash in Monroe County late Tuesday morning.

It happened on I-75 near the I-275 interchange in Frenchtown Township around 8:45 a.m.

The crash involved a semi-truck as well as two Michigan Department of Transportation vehicles in an area where crews were patching up the road. 

While it's unclear why the semi-truck crashed, police suspect distracted driving may have played a role at the scene, which was clearly marked for construction.

According to one witness, "it looked like a disaster."

Nicholas DiResta called it "a bad scene" after driving by debris strewn across the northbound lanes of the interstate. Eight hours after the crash, crews were still cleaning up the mess, which included thousands of aluminum cans.

What they're saying:

Michigan State Police were the first to arrive at the scene. Lieutenant Rene Gonzalez, who manages communication for the First District, said MDOT workers were doing patch work at the time.

"As a semi-truck with a trailer came through the area, not sure why it did not stop, but it just ran right into the back of one of the safety vehicle, bounced off that vehicle, jackknifed, and then struck the second safety vehicle," said Gonzalez.

The safety vehicles, called attenuator trucks, are designed to lessen the impact of vehicles crashing into them in circumstances like these.

But even those vehicles experienced damage, according to footage from SkyFOX on Tuesday.

A mangled semi-truck with aluminum cans spilling out the trailer on I-75.

Why you should care:

It's the latest example of distracted driving ending in tragedy, said Gonzalez.

"What we’re having is inattentive drivers and we’re finding that the semi truck drivers are not paying attention. They’re coming up on a back-up in a hurry, and it’s too late for them to stop," he said.

Police do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.