Stretch of I-75 in Detroit closed after fiery crash reopens

Multiple people were injured and part of Interstate 75 was closed for hours Friday after a tanker truck crash and vehicle fire near Warren Avenue in Detroit, state officials said.

The three-car crash occurred around 5 p.m. and a tanker cab caught on fire, Michigan State Police reported on Twitter.

The at-fault driver was 27-years-old and heading north on I-75 when they lost control due to speed and hit the side of a semi, MSP reported. The semi hit the median wall and its cab, with the driver still inside, flipped over the wall and landed in the southbound lanes.

When the tanker, which was carrying 10,000 gallons of fuel, hit the median wall, it knocked over a light pole and sprayed concrete debris across all southbound lanes, state police said.

The chassis and gas tanks caught on fire but the tanker filled with fuel did not, according to MSP.

Hazmat crews were working to empty the gasoline in order to remove it from the road while also cleaning oil and gas spillage from the crash.

“We were extremely lucky that this crash did not end in an explosion and fatalities," said First Lt. Mike Shaw, public information officer for the MSP Second District. “Again, rain and bad driving behaviors just don’t mix. When it rains, please slow down.”

The vehicle that hit the semi and another passenger vehicle both flipped onto their sides during the crash.

MSP cited the at-fault driver for careless driving without insurance.

The third vehicle came to rest near the blazing semi but the driver escaped before her vehicle caught on fire, MSP reported.

Overall, seven people were transported to a hospital and three sustained minor injuries.

The freeway was closed in both directions for cleanup just after 5:30 p.m., the Michigan Department of Transportation reported at Twitter.

Northbound traffic was diverted off at Mack Avenue while the southbound lanes were closed at I-94, officials said.

MDOT cameras showed long backups nearby as emergency crews tended to the scene.

Both directions of I-75 were reopened by 10 p.m., MDOT spokeswoman Diane Cross said.