HARTFORD, MI (WTVB) – State Police Lt. Dale Hinz says if there is no compelling reason to drive today toward the Lakeshore in West Michigan, just stay home. Heavy Lake Effect snow and bitterly cold temperatures in single digits with sub-zero wind chills have left area roadways snow covered and slick. The weather is being blamed for a large number of slide offs and fender benders, particularly along I-94 and U.S. 131, but also on city streets.
A pair of chain reaction collisions on I-94 in Van Buren County late Friday morning left four people injured, caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage and created an environmental threat when 25-hundred gallons of motor oil spilled from a semi.
A Kent County commercial driver is being blamed for causing a massive pile up on I-94 near Hartford last month that resulted in two deaths. 40-year-old Timothy Martinez has been charged with two counts of reckless driving causing death, which is 15-year-felony. 78-year-old Carol Griesemer of Northville, Michigan, and her son, 54-year-old Andrew Griesemer were critically injured in the January 17th chain reaction collision and both died from their injuries. Authorities say the charges are the result of a painstaking investigation that indicated this driver was not driving in a safe manner at the time.
14 people were injured in the pileup, which involved a total of 44 vehicles. Martinez has also been charged with two counts of reckless driving causing bodily injury. 20 other drivers had already been mailed citations for driving too fast for conditions.
