Trucker hits parked rig, escapes fire

ANTWERP TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - A man was able to escape his semi-truck before it became engulfed in flames following a collision with another semi-truck along a stretch of Interstate 94 in Van Buren County Monday morning.

It happened at 5:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes near mile marker 61 in Antwerp Township.

Two Ontario men, 34 and 35, were parked in one of the trucks on the right shoulder investigating a malfunction with their vehicle.

A second semi-truck driven by a 45-year-old man from Wayne, Mich. struck the parked semi as his truck veered off the highway, police said in a news release.

The second truck then went off the road to the right and caught fire, police said.

None of the occupants were injured and they were wearing seat belts.

"A large amount of latex carried by the parked semi-truck was dispersed onto the highway," police said, resulting in a seven-hour closure of the westbound lanes from Exit 66 (Mattawan) to Exit 60 (Paw Paw).

The accident is still being investigated and no citations have been issued.