Vehicle pileups in 2 states injure 30, kill 3

Whiteout conditions possible cause for Indiana crash

Author: By CNN Staff
Published On: Jan 31 2013 07:40:45 PM EST   Updated On: Feb 01 2013 03:30:28 AM EST
Multi vehicle accident Indiana
(CNN) -

A chain-reaction crash involving 40 vehicles in Indiana injured 10 people Thursday who were sent to area hospitals, police said.

One person was in critical condition, said Indiana State Police spokesman Rich Myers.

No fatalities were reported in the pileup of semis and cars that closed a seven-mile section of Interstate 70 west of Indianapolis, said state police Cpl. Tim James.

A hazardous materials team was cleaning up fuel and automobile lubricants from the roadway, Myers said.

Wintry white-out conditions are one possible cause for the wreck, James said.

In Michigan, three people were killed and up to 20 injured in another chain-reaction accident Thursday, state police said.

Killed were a child and two others, Lt. Michael Shaw said.

The accident happened over the Rouge River Bridge in Detroit on Interstate 75, said Robert Morosi of the Michigan Department of Transportation. At least 30 cars were involved in the pileup, he said.

Read: Police: I-75 crash worst they've seen yet

Snow was falling at the time of the crash, Morosi said, describing conditions as a "typical Michigan winter morning."

The jaws of life were used to pull people out of three vehicles, Shaw said.