Family injured in fiery multi-vehicle crash on I-96 were returning from Ford Field team competition – Macomb Daily

A fundraiser was organized to help the family from Mt. Pleasant, which was involved in a horrific accident Saturday evening east of Lansing.

The VanHorn family was returning from a high school team competition at Ford Field when a crash on I-96 in eastern Ingham County killed four people and injured 17 others.

According to police, the crash happened around 11:40 p.m. near Webberville. DTE Energy just finished laying power lines ahead of the expressway’s reopening. Cars were standing in line waiting for traffic to calm down when a semi-trailer hit the vehicles.

The crash killed three Lansing residents driving a Chevy Trax – a 20-year-old man, a 43-year-old man and a 47-year-old man, all women. A 29-year-old Carson City resident traveling in a Ford F-150 also died.

A spokeswoman for DTE Energy discussed the work schedule.

“If we’re going to do something like this on an expressway, we’re going to do it when there’s the least traffic on it because it needs to be shut down for both the safety of the people traveling and the safety of our crews, which is why we’re working with the Michigan State Police on this and we are trying to determine the time when it will cause the least amount of inconvenience,” Rosso said.

The bridge will be inspected by the Michigan Department of Education, resulting in westbound I-96 and M-52 being closed indefinitely until the inspection is completed.

Late Monday afternoon, MDOT announced that “eastbound I-96 will have two lanes closed at Chilson Road to allow crews to safely move the temporary barrier at Howell” from 6 p.m. today through 3 a.m. Tuesday, November 5.

The VanHorn family, brutally hit from behind in a crash, were rescued from the wreckage after their car burst into flames after the collision.

Sam, Kim and Alex VanHorn were immediately taken to Sparrow Hospital for treatment and were assessed throughout the night.

Sam was admitted to hospital, and the other two have already been discharged.

All three feel like they “received amazing care throughout the entire process,” even though their injuries are extensive. Kim says “we have a long road to economic recovery” but the level of support is high. Kim’s husband Sam is not doing well these days. He is still in the hospital while Alex is at home in bed with a broken lower back. Kim suffered numerous bruises, scrapes, burns and cuts, as well as a large hematoma on her leg. The family has follow-up visits this week to determine next steps.

Charlene Dengler, Kim’s sister-in-law and Sam’s older sister, started a GoFundMe to support her family during this difficult time. The current fundraising goal is $15,000; As of Monday afternoon, $11,380 had been raised. As of 3:30 p.m., the amount raised was nearly $15,500, exceeding the goal, with 321 people donating.

Anyone wishing to donate to this cause and support the VanHorn family please visit the website donation place.

The Detroit News contributed to this report.

Originally published: November 4, 2024 at 4:25 pm EST