21 vehicles, 14 crashes on Friday the 13th

Commuters who traveled M-24 through Oxford last Friday morning, Jan. 13, had a tough go of it. Strong winds from the north blew in and created a road that was covered with ice.

“We had approximately 14 crashes which involved 21 vehicles. The crashes stemmed from Oakwood to Ray Road and then at Drahner as well,” Sergeant Ric Meza, of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said.

According to Oxford Fire Chief Matt Majestic, the fire department received nine calls for assistance between 7:45 a.m. and 9 a.m.

“There were seven car accidents and two medical emergencies,” Chief Majestic said. “Two of the car accidents involved vehicles flipping over or onto their sides. Two of the accidents involved more than two vehicles. One of the accidents involved four vehicles, and one was reported as involving 10 vehicles, however that was not the case. It actually turned out to be two different accidents close to each other and involved a total of five to six vehicles. As far as the rollover accidents go, there was a pickup truck that struck a flatbed semi and rolled onto its side near Dunlap and M-24. The other rollover accident involved a commercial panel truck hauling a trailer that jack-knifed due to icy conditions resulting in the truck flipping onto its side and ending up in the parking lot of the Mario’s Golden Nugget Restaurant. Luckily, all things considered, none of the injuries were life threatening between all of the accidents.”

According to Addison Township Fire Chief Jerry Morawski, they had a “quiet morning” in that township. — Don Rush