Poor weather leads to wrecks, injuries

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Poor weather led to car crashes across West Michigan Sunday, causing some road closures, traffic backups and injuries.

The driver of a pickup truck sustained possibly life-threatening head injuries in a weather-related crash on 14 Mile Road between Shaner Avenue and Northland Drive in Courtland Township south of Cedar Springs, according to Michigan State Police.

Around 5 p.m. Sunday, a pickup truck driver lost control on the slushy road, authorities on scene said. The truck crossed the center line and struck a car head-on.

A passenger in the truck was also injured and taken to Spectrum Butterworth Hospital. A mother and daughter in the car were not hurt.

14 Mile was shut down for a time and traffic was backed up for about a mile in either direction. The road was still a slushy mess as of Sunday evening, police said.

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Four people were hurt in a weather-related two-vehicle crash around 4 p.m. on Alden Nash Avenue near Emery Drive in Lowell.

The driver of a northbound Ford pickup truck -- a 16-year-old female from Lowell -- lost control and the truck flipped onto its side, according to the Kent County Sheriff's Department. Still on its side, the truck slid into oncoming traffic and hit a southbound Volvo sedan.

The driver of the pickup truck sustained a possible head injuries and complained of some pain. The 25-year-old driver of the Volvo -- of Dorr -- sustained a possible concussion and a broken right ankle. A 29-year-old passenger from Grand Rapids sustained a broken right wrist and dislocated hip. A 27-year-old passenger from Wyoming -- the only one of the four involved not wearing a seatbelt -- sustained a concussion, a large laceration on the head and a broken left hip.

All four were taken to the hospital. None of their injuries are considered life-threatening.

Alden Nash was shut down in the area of the crash for some time.

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A multi-vehicle crash likely related to the weather caused a traffic backup on westbound I-196 near I-96 in Grand Rapids late Sunday afternoon. Dispatchers told 24 Hour News 8 no one was seriously injured, but the crash caused a mess. Between 3:45 p.m. and 5 p.m., all westbound lanes were shut down and only the right lane was open between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

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In another weather-related crash, a sedan rolled over off westbound I-96 a mile east of Walker Avenue.

The driver, Tres Mitchell-Keyes, was headed home to Muskegon when he lost control.

"I thought it was just wet roads, and it was actually slippery. I thought I could get back hold of it and went to the side of the road and flipped my car," " he told 24 Hour News 8. "Actually, I feel good that I'm still alive and I'm not injured at all. It just hurt my feelings."

Mitchell-Keyes had to climb out of the window to get out of the vehicle.

A second car also spun out nearby. No one was seriously hurt in either of those incidents.

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Several other slide-offs and crashes were reported across West Michigan.

Drivers are urged to slow down and use caution because of the weather.

Storm Team 8 says that slick roads are likely into Sunday evening and overnight as we see rain, freezing drizzle and snow heading north from Grand Rapids.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for areas north of I-96 -- including Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Oceana counties -- because of that freezing drizzle.

Temperatures are expected fall below freezing all across the WOOD TV8 viewing area overnight.

Randy Wheeler and other Kent County Road Commission drivers want to prevent slide-offs and crashes, especially for the Monday morning commute.

"We'll work all night at that until the day crew comes in in the morning time," he said.

Wheeler and seven other drivers will work all night Sunday and into Monday, taking turns loading a 50/50 mix of salt and sand and spreading it on the main roads.

"Mainly 50/50 for the grit on the road. After the snow melts, you want something there to help stop the cars at the stops signs and the hills and curves," he explained. "The goal is to try to get the primaries and the interstates ready for the 4 o'clock, 6 o'clock traffic that comes. Try to get the roads looking the best that we can for them."

Roads may be slick for the Monday morning commute, but travel should be smoother during the day as we see snow flurries.

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24 Hour News 8's Ken Kolker contributed to this report.