Over 100-Vehicle Pileup Shuts I-196 Near Hudsonville

A massive pileup involving more than 100 vehicles shut down Interstate 196 near Hudsonville, Michigan, on Monday morning, as heavy lake-effect snow blanketed the region and reduced visibility to dangerous levels. The incident, which occurred around 10:30 a.m. local time just southwest of Grand Rapids, included over 30 semitrailer trucks and led to numerous minor injuries, though no fatalities were reported, according to Michigan State Police and the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office.

The crash unfolded amid intense winter weather fueled by the Great Lakes, with heavy blowing snow creating whiteout conditions. Visibility dropped to as little as a quarter mile in some areas, accompanied by wind gusts of 25 to 40 miles per hour and temperatures in the low teens. Snowfall rates reached up to a half-inch per hour, prompting the National Weather Service to issue warnings against travel on major roads, including Interstate 196. Officials described multiple collisions, jackknifed semis, and vehicles sliding off the icy roadway, turning a stretch of the highway between exits 55 and 62 into a scene of wreckage visible in drone footage showing clustered trucks and damaged cars.