A fundraiser has been created to help Mt. Pleasant family involved in a horrific accident east of Lansing on Saturday night.
The VanHorn family was returning from a high school band competition at Ford Field when a pileup on I-96 in eastern Ingham County killed four people and injured 17.
According to police, the crash happened around 11:40 p.m. near Webberville. DTE Energy had just finished stringing power lines when they reopened the expressway. Cars were stopped in a line, waiting for traffic to ease up when a semi-trailer slammed into the vehicles.
Three Lansing residents in a Chevy Trax were killed in the accident – a 20-year old, a 43-year old, and a 47-year old, all female. A 29-year old Carson City resident in a Ford F-150 was also killed.
DTE Energy’s company spokeswoman discussed the timing of the work.
“If we’re going to do something like that on the expressway, we’re going to do that when it’s the least amount of traffic on the expressway because it has to be shut down both for the safety of people traveling and the safety of our crews, so we work with the Michigan State Police on that and try to determine the time it will cause the least amount of inconvenience,” Rosso said.
The bridge will be under inspection by the Michigan Department of Education, putting westbound I-96 and M-52 closed indefinitely until inspections cease.
Late afternoon on Monday, MDOT reported that “eastbound I-96 will have two lanes closed at Chilson Road to allow crews to safely move the temporary barrier in Howell” from 6 p.m. today until 3 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The VanHorn family, brutally struck from behind in the accident, was rescued from the wreckage after their car was engulfed in the flames after impact.
Sam, Kim, and Alex VanHorn were all immediately transported to Sparrow Hospital for treatment and were evaluated throughout the night.
Sam was admitted to the hospital while the other two have been discharged.
The three feel as though they “have received amazing care throughout the process,” even though the injuries are extensive. Kim says that “there is a long road of recovery ahead of us” but that support levels are high. Kim’s husband, Sam, isn’t doing well at this time. He is still in the hospital while Alex is at home on bed rest with a fractured lower lumbar. Kim suffered many bruises, scrapes, burns, and cuts, as well as a large hematoma on her leg. The family has follow up appointments this week to determine next steps.
Charlene Dengler, sister-in-law to Kim and older sister to Sam, has started a GoFundMe in support of her family during this difficult time. Currently, the fundraiser has a goal of $15,000; $11,380 had been raised by early afternoon Monday. By 3:30 p.m., he amount raised was nearly $15,500, topping the goal, with 321 people donating.
Anyone wanting to donate to the cause and support the VanHorn family, please visit the donation site.
The Detroit News contributed to this report.