Rescue workers at the scene of a fatal plane crash with FedEx semi truck on U.S. 131 in Plainwell, MI on September 23, 2011. The pilot of the small single engine plane was killed in the crash. Photo credit: Tim Keith

Plainwell is located in Allegan County, Michigan in the southwestern part of the state about 78 1/2 miles southeast of Muskegon, about 22 miles northwest of Portage and about 13.4 miles north of Westwood.

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The accident happened at around 10 minutes to 9:00 a.m. in the morning on U.S. 131 on the approach to the runway at Plainwell Municipal Airport.

The victim was identified as William Frank Beswick, 73 years old, from Holland, MI. He and his wife had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary about a month previous.

Beswick apparently clipped the rear of a FedEx semi truck that was moving northbound on Highway 131 at the time. His plane flipped over and crashed in a field only about 40 feet from the end of the runway.

Map showing location of fatal crash between a single engine airplane and a FedEx semi truck on U.S. Highway 131 in Plainwell, MI on the approach to the the Plainwell Municipal Airport runway.

Beswick was an experienced aviator with about 50 years experience as a pilot. He was certified with a private pilot’s license with an instrument rating. It is speculated that fog may have played a role in this accident. He was flying a standard model Thorp T-18, classified as an experimental aircraft, that was certified by the FAA in 1978.

Beswick took off from Tulip City Airport in Holland, MI and his destination was the Plainwell Municipal Airport where the tragic accident happened.

Flight investigators said that conditions at the airport that morning were foggy and dangerous.

Fedex semi truck with large chunk of the rear of the trailer damaged in the collision with a small single engine airplane on U.S. 131 in Plainwell, MI. Photo credit: Tim Keith

Beswick was flying behind a friend and fellow pilot, Ken Dannenberg, 78 years old, also from Holland. Dannenberg landed first ahead of Beswick and spoke to him on the radio just before the crash. They were planning to meet for breakfast together at the Fly Inn, a restaurant at the airport in Plainwell.

It was only a 15 minute flight and both pilots had made frequent landings at the Plainwell Airport, sometimes two or three times per week. Dannenberg states that Beswick’s plane was equipped with the latest equipment and that it was well-maintained.

The FedEx semi truck driver was shaken but unhurt. A large chunk could be seen to be torn away from the rear of the trailer where the airplane’s wing struck the tractor-trailer.

At first the big rig driver did not realize what had happened. He brought the truck to a stop immediately afterwards about 1/3rd of a mile down the road.

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On Tuesday afternoon, January 4, truck driver Gurpreet Johal of Brantton, Ontario, Canada was driving a semi trailer east on I-94, traveling through Van Buren County, MI. It is not known if the driver had cargo at the time of the truck accident, or where he was headed.

Michigan and most of the Midwest was experiencing a typical winter storm on Tuesday and the roads were covered with ice and snow, making the roads very slippery in spots. It was still snowing when the truck accident and several other crashes happened throughout the Kalamazoo region.

It was about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon and the truck driver was approaching the interstate exit for Paw Paw. A short time earlier 73 year old Mary Prill of St. Joseph, MI had crashed on the highway. Her disabled Chevrolet Tahoe was left blocking a part of the right lane of eastbound traffic. Officers with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department and the Paw Paw Police had responded to the car crash and were helping Ms. Prill when the truck accident occurred.

The semi driver, Mr. Johal, had reached the scene of the earlier accident and was attempting to pass another driver when he lost control of his rig. According to police reports the semi driver was passing a Pontiac Grand Am driven by 20 year old Jason McQueen of Lakeview, MI when the tractor trailer began to slide on the highway. The 18 wheeler jackknifed and may have hit the Pontiac before slamming into the disabled Chevy Tahoe. The car driver, Ms. Prill, was in the Tahoe when the truck accident happened, and the two police officers were standing on either side of the Chevy.

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The semi continued forward and hit Deputy Duane Brigham of the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Dept, and threw him about 100 feet from the truck accident scene. Paw Paw Police Officer Kirk Goodrich ended up entrapped underneath the tractor trailer.

Local emergency personnel quickly rushed to the crash site and began to help the numerous victims. Ms. Prill, the Tahoe driver, was transported to nearby Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. She was listed in intensive care and had suffered multiple internal injuries in the truck accident.

Deputy Brigham’s shoulder became dislocated when he was hit and thrown by the semi. He was stabilized at the truck accident scene and then taken to a nearby hospital for additional treatment for his shoulder and for lacerations to his head.

Paw Paw Officer Goodrich was partially stuck under the semi and rescue workers had to use tools to free the man. Once extricated, he was transported to Bronson Lakeview Hospital where he was treated for a broken ankle and injuries to several ribs. A passenger in the Pontiac Grand Am received unspecified injuries in the truck accident and was also taken to Bronson Lakeview Hospital. She was later identified as 20 year old Ashley Crawford of South Bend, Indiana.

The truck driver and the driver of the Pontiac were not injured in the truck accident.

Michigan Sate Police responded to the crash site and shut down a section of eastbound I-94. Motorists were forced off the highway at Exit 56 and diverted around the truck accident scene before being allowed back onto the highway east of the crash site. Crews were brought in to clear the disabled vehicles and debris from the interstate lanes. All eastbound lanes were opened a short time after 3:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

Police investigating the collision have not made a statement on their findings, although they noted that weather and icy roads were factors in the crash. A Michigan State Police news release also stated that they believe at the time of the truck accident the semi driver was “Traveling at an unsafe speed passing another vehicle” when the semi slid and jackknifed.

No charges have been brought at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.

David Bennett of Ludington, MI was driving a semi trailer truck south on U.S. 31 on Monday morning, traveling through Ottawa County, MI. The cab and trailer section of the semi had the logo for Eagle Xpress, a trucking company based out of Ludington, MI. The cargo and destination of the 18 wheeler is not known at this time.

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The multi vehicle truck accident was set off shortly before 8:00 a.m. Monday morning as the tractor trailer moved through Grand Rapids Township. The semi truck was approaching the juncture of U.S. 31 and Ferris Street when the morning commuter traffic began to slow down for a red light. A southbound pickup truck, driven by Joseph Longo of Spring Lake, MI, was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed as he came up on the slower traffic. Mr. Longo slightly hit one car, driven by Kaylin Seeger of Muskegon, MI, before suddenly pulling into the next lane, directly in the path of the semi trailer. The driver of the tractor trailer attempted to swerve to avoid a collision and apparently lost control of the truck.

The semi trailer jackknifed and moved into another southbound lane on the highway, colliding with a car driven by Heidi Flowers of Muskegon. The tractor trailer then crossed the grassy median and careened into the northbound lanes of U.S. 31 where it slammed into a northbound car. The tractor trailer, and two of the vehicles which had become stuck on the 18 wheeler, crossed all the northbound lanes before finally coming to a rest at the edge of the highway. Altogether five vehicles including the semi were involved in the truck accident.

Ottawa County emergency personnel rushed to the scene of the multi vehicle crash. Fortunately none of the drivers were seriously injured in the collision, possibly due to the fact that everyone was wearing their seat belts at the time of the truck accident. The driver of the northbound vehicle that was hit by the semi, John McCall of Muskegon, MI, sustained minor injuries in the truck accident. His arm and hand were treated at the crash site by a paramedic from North Ottawa Community Hospital and he did not require hospitalization.

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Ottawa County Sheriff Department officers shut down a section of U.S. 31 around the disabled semi truck and cars. Northbound traffic was rerouted to secondary roads while the rescue teams and police worked at the crash site. The southbound traffic also was slowed by the truck accident but no lanes were shut down.

Highway crews were brought in to remove the crashed cars and tractor trailer off the highway. It would take the workers a little over an hour to clear the truck accident site.

Police reconstructed the multi vehicle collision but have not yet made their final determination public. It is believed that the speeding pick-up truck that pulled in front of the semi set off the truck accident. It is believed that police interviewed the driver of the pickup, Mr. Longo, at the crash site. Police did confirm that drugs and alcohol are not considered factors in the crash.

No charges have been made at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.

Firefighters prepare to remove the victim of a fatal crash on eastbound Interstate 94 near Coloma on Monday afternoon. Police said it appears that the semi truck ran into the rear of the car. Traffic had backed up due to a multi-vehicle crash that had taken place a few minutes earlier in the eastbound lanes near the Coloma exit, about two miles to the east. William F. Ast III / H-P staff

On Monday afternoon an unidentified truck driver was driving a semi trailer truck in the right eastbound lane of Interstate 94 through Berrien County, MI. The trailer truck was behind a car as it moved through the area near the city of Coloma. In addition to the driver there were three passengers in the car including the brother of the driver 68 year old Fred Reinhardt, Jr of Bangor, MI.

At around 4:00 p.m. Monday afternoon eastbound traffic on the interstate began to slow down due to a crash that had occurred a few moments earlier near the exit for Friday Road. As the truck moved near the exit to Park Road the car directly in front of the semi truck began to slow with traffic.

Not long after the fatal accident happened, eastbound traffic on I-94 was diverted onto I-196, then east on Red Arrow Highway to Watervliet and back to I-94. Traffic on I-94 at one point was backed up from the I-196 exit almost to Napier Avenue in Benton Township, about three miles. The eastbound lanes were reopened around 9:15 p.m., according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. Mark Parren photo

The 18 wheeler truck was apparently too close to the car or going too fast to avoid a collision. The semi trailer truck slammed into the back of the car, crushing in the back section of the smaller vehicle. The force of the truck accident caused both vehicles to flip over onto their sides. The semi truck and the car both became enmeshed in the highway cable barriers running along the side of the interstate median.

According to authorities the barriers probably prevented more vehicles being hit in the deadly crash by keeping the trailer truck from crossing into other lanes of traffic.

Michigan State Police Troopers on their way to the first collision came upon the scene of the truck accident and stopped to help. Firefighters from a nearby department rushed to the site of the overturned truck and car where they found Fred Reinhardt Jr. trapped in the back seat of the car hit by the semi. The rescue team worked to extricate the victim from the back seat.

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Unfortunately Mr. Reinhardt suffered fatal injuries in the truck accident and died at the scene. The driver and two other passengers were also hurt in the rear end truck collision however it is not known if they were transported to a hospital. Their conditions and extent of injuries was not released to the public.

The truck driver suffered minor injuries in the truck accident.

MSP shut down a section of I-94 around the site of the deadly truck accident. Vehicles were rerouted to Interstate 196 then directed to Red Arrow Highway on to Watervliet and then back onto I-94.

Highway crews and tow trucks were brought to the truck accident site to clear the wreckage of the fatal collision off the interstate. The work was slow moving and an hour after the crash the semi trailer truck was still on its side while the car was back upright. The cleanup lasted well into the evening and the eastbound lanes of I-94 finally reopened shortly after 9:00 p.m. Monday night.

Investigators with MSP and the Michigan Department of Transportation conducted a reconstruction of the truck accident. At this time they have not released their findings to the public.

At this point they have not brought any charges in the deadly collision and the truck accident remains under investigation.

Local firefighter’s fought the blazing truck for a time. A Haz-Mat team was also called to the site of the truck accident to handle the diesel fuel and any other dangerous materials which may have spilled during the collision.

At around 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning a semi trailer truck was driving north on Interstate in Eaton County, MI. As the unidentified driver was in the right lane, and as the 18 wheeler passed through the area near the city of Charlotte a second semi tractor truck came up behind the first rig.

The driver of the second trailer truck decided to pass the first 18 wheeler and moved over into the passing lane. As the driver was passing he side swiped and then collided with the first semi trailer truck.

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When the trucks collided the impact damaged a fuel tank on one of the 18 wheelers and diesel fuel spilled out. The first truck and a section of the interstate exploded into flames.

The truck driver was able to escape from the cab of his burning truck. When local emergency personnel reached the scene of the truck accident they treated the driver for minor injuries and then transported him to a nearby hospital in Eaton Rapids, MI.

The driver of the second trailer truck fled the scene of the truck accident and the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office has issued a bulletin for the driver to be found and brought back for questioning and possible charges.

Local firefighter’s fought the blazing truck for a time. A Haz-Mat team was also called to the site of the truck accident to handle the diesel fuel and any other dangerous materials which may have spilled during the collision.

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When the fire was finally extinguished the semi truck was completely destroyed, all that was remaining was a burnt, smoldering shell.

The northbound lanes in I-69 were closed for almost eight hours after the truck accident. Crews worked to clear the debris from the roadway and tow the seared wreckage of the semi truck off the interstate.
While the northbound lanes were closed deputies with the Eaton County Sheriff’s office reconstructed the truck accident and tried to determine why the two 18 wheelers collided.

The driver of the semi truck that fled the scene will likely be charged with leaving the scene of an accident. Other charges may be brought pending the completion of the truck accident investigation.

Local emergency personnel teams responded to the scene of the truck accident.

Shortly after 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday a semi trailer truck carrying a load of hazardous material was traveling east on I-96 in Livingston County near the town of Brighton, MI. The 18 wheeler is owned by Chem-Trend LP and was carrying 70 barrels of Monolube 3400, a potentially hazardous lubricant used in tire manufacturing. According to experts, Monolube 3400 if shaken in unventilated containers could produce hydrogen gas which could then explode. Chem-Trend is based in Howell, MI.

As the semi trailer truck moved through the area near Brighton and US Highway 23 just past Pleasant Valley Road the truck driver apparently had a collision with a passenger car, which caused him to lose control of the 18 wheeler and overturn on the interstate. The impact of the rollover truck accident spilled several of the barrels of the Monolube 3400 out onto the roadway.

Local emergency personnel teams responded to the scene of the truck accident. The truck driver was treated and stabilized at the site and then transported to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, about 20 miles to the south. Officials did not release the exact nature of the truck driver’s injuries, but they were reportedly non-life threatening.

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It is unknown at this time if the driver of the car involved in the truck accident was injured.
Michigan State Police also responded to the site of the truck accident. When they learned of the potentially hazardous material that had spilled out onto the highway they made the decision to close down all lanes of the interstate around the accident site.

A Haz-Mat team from Livingston County was called in to handle the clean up of the Monolube 3400. Corrigan Towing, based in Brighton, brought in heavy equipment and handled the removal of the wreckage of the disabled semi trailer truck.

It would take hours to clean up the interstate and officials finally reopened the traffic lanes around 9:00 p.m. Wednesday night.

MSP continues to investigate the truck accident and no charges or citations have been brought at this time.

The driver of the Saturn sustained serious injuries in the truck accident and was treated and stabilized at the scene. He was then transported to Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, MI, where he underwent surgery for a broken pelvis

Shortly after 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning on April 1, 28 year old Gerald Atkinson of South Lyon, MI was a passenger in a 1996 Saturn driven by his best friend, an unidentified 28 year old, traveling east on Grand River Avenue. A few moments later the driver of the Saturn apparently lost control of the car on Grand River Ave., just past the intersection with Napier Road. The Saturn driver crossed over the center line into the westbound lanes, directly in the path of an oncoming 2001 International semi tractor trailer truck.

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The truck belonged to US Foodservice and the driver, identified only as a 48 year old man from Walled Lake, MI, was a long time employee who had just left the company’s plant on Napier Road, and was traveling west on Grand River Ave. when he saw the car coming right at him.

The truck driver maneuvered the loaded 18 wheeler truck into the eastbound lanes around the Saturn to avoid a collision, but then the Saturn moved back into the east lanes and crashed into the semi truck trailer’s back axle.

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Oakland County Sheriff officers and emergency medical technicians responded to the scene of the truck accident. Mr. Atkinson, the passenger in the Saturn, suffered fatal injuries in the truck collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Saturn sustained serious injuries in the truck accident and was treated and stabilized at the scene. He was then transported to Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, MI, where he underwent surgery for a broken pelvis. He is currently listed in stable condition. The truck driver was not injured in the collision.

Oakland County Sheriff officers shut down Grand River Ave. while highway crews worked to clear the traffic lanes. The road would be closed to traffic for several hours.

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Officers were also reconstructing the truck accident scene to determine what happened. After a preliminary investigation they believe that alcohol was a factor in the fatal truck collision. The truck driver and Mr. Atkinson were wearing their seat belts, but it is unclear if the driver of the Saturn had his on at the time of the truck accident.

The Sheriff’s Department Alcohol Enforcement Unit was granted a search warrant to obtain a blood alcohol test on the driver of the Saturn and they are expected to present a request for charges against the Saturn driver to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. It will take several weeks before the test is completed and the results returned to the department.

No citations have been made at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.

Michigan State Police closed the eastbound section of I-96 between Okemos and Williamston Road

Shortly after 2:00 p.m. Monday afternoon, 57 year old Stuart Conaway, of Brandon, FL which is 17.5 miles from Tampa, was driving a tractor trailer filled with boxes of cereal, headed eastbound on I-96. Mr. Conaway began to lose control of his 18 wheeler as he was driving the stretch of the highway between Okemos Road and Williamston Road.

As he reached the area near mile marker #117 Conaway’s tractor trailer went off the highway and crashed into the highway guardrail. The semi truck flipped over on its side and skidded for about a hundred feet before coming to a stop.

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Mr. Conaway was ejected from the semi truck during the rollover. He had already died by the time law enforcement officials reached him, and was pronounced dead at the scene of the truck accident.

Witnesses told Ingham County Sheriff’s officers that the truck suddenly began to move “all over the road and then he crashed”. There was reportedly no fog or no ice on the road at the time of the truck rollover accident, and weather is not considered a factor. No other vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

Michigan State Police closed the eastbound section of I-96 between Okemos Road and Williamston Road, and rerouted traffic off the highway. They sent drivers to Grand River Road and then back onto the highway at Williamston Road. The road was closed for over nine hours.

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Some sources reported that the 18 wheeler lost about 50 gallons of diesel fuel when it crashed and flipped over. To avoid a serious diesel fuel spill, workers with the Ingham County Hazardous Materials Team drilled into the gas tank on the tractor trailer and drained out the remaining fuel before attempting to upright the rig. This took several hours and was one of the main reasons the highway was shut down for so long.

A local towing company brought in work crew who spent several hours unloading the cereal boxes from the crashed tractor trailer. Once the cargo was unloaded the towing company up-righted the truck back onto its wheels.

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The guardrail at the truck accident site was flattened and would have to be removed and replaced. In addition, a small bridge may have been damaged. Authorities from the Michigan Department of Transportation were inspecting the bridge to see if it had been compromised and if it was still safe for travel.

The big rig truck rollover is still being investigated. An autopsy is planned for Tuesday to determine if there was a medical condition that may have led to the truck crash. No charges or citations have been made at this time.

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Rescue crews at the scene of the semi truck accident near Ann Arbor, MI

The woman was driving a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix when she lost control of her car and struck the semi truck. The vehicle crossed over the median, overturned and went airborne into the northbound lanes where it landed on the roof of a 1995 Chrysler Concord. The other car was driven by a 19-year-old man from Ann Arbor.

 
The 19-year-old woman was identified as Felisa Estella-Rosa Barnes from Erie, MI. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The roof of the vehicle that the Ann Arbor man was driving was crushed in the collision. The driver was trapped in his car and according to Green Oak Township police, he was freed by firefighters then was airlifted to the University of Michigan Medical Center with serious injuries.

The semi truck drivers were not injured. One of the semi truck drivers was a 50-year-old man from Spring Hill, Florida.

One of the semi tankers was carrying gasoline. There was a minor leak to the gas tanker, but it was quickly contained. The other tanker was hauling apple juice.

US-23 was closed for about 3 hours while the scene of the accident was being cleaned up and investigated by police officers. Investigators from the Michigan State Police, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department and Green Oak Township were present.

Contact an Ann Arbor truck accident attorney if you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Find a Michigan truck accident lawyer at TruckAccidents360.com today who specializes in representing victims involved in truck injury accidents.

Photo by Jon M. Brouwer - The Grand Rapids Press

GRANDVILLE, MI – On Sep 7, 2009, the I-196 and Chicago Drive were closed after a crash involving a semi-truck and sport utility vehicle.

The truck accident occurred on the westbound I-196 about 8 am on the Chicago Drive overpass. Emergency crews arrived at the scene of the crash and discovered a burning SUV on the overpass. The semi truck fell down the embankment and was burning near Chicago Drive.

The driver of the SUV survived the crash, but a passenger in the SUV died and the semi truck driver also died as a result of the fiery collision. It is unclear exactly how the accident happened. The highway was under construction at the time and the I-196 was narrowed down to one lane in the area of the accident.

Authorities say that when the crash occurred it caused the semi-truck to be covered in fuel. The semi truck, which was believed to be carrying pies, caught fire and tumbled down the embankment. The semi truck involved was not a tanker.

Photo by Jon M. Brouwer - The Grand Rapids Press

As reported in the Grand Rapids Press, “a Michigan Department of Transportation official has been called to the scene to check the integrity of the highway overpass. There is no time set for the reopening of the roads.”

Lt. Dan Dreyer of the Grandville,  Fire Department stated that the cleanup was going to be a while due to the oil and diesel fuel.

The Michigan truck accident was so violent that one of the axles from the semi trailer was on the overpass, and another axle also remained in the roadway below. There was a lot of debris scattered across both roads.

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