This week, a winter storm turned Kalamazoo County, Michigan roads into a slippery mess. The weather event caused multiple accidents and slide-offs, especially on highways like I-94. Yesterday, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office shared a harrowing video of a semi-truck suddenly losing control. It collided with a local fire truck already helping another motorist. Watch the crash below.

Around 8:30 a.m., first responders were at the scene of a pickup truck crash on eastbound I-94 near mile marker 80.5 in Comstock Township. A white pickup flipped over the embankment, landing in a bare scrub of trees. Passenger cars casually drove past. Out of nowhere, a commercial truck jackknifed and overturned. It slammed cabin-first into a Comstock Fire truck and a sheriff’s patrol vehicle.

The rescue crew darted down the shoulder embankment, barely getting out of the way.

Miraculously, no serious injuries were reported. The semi driver was taken to the hospital out of caution, the sheriff’s office said. In any case, the recorded incident puts the risks first responders face while working in severe weather conditions on full display.

Sheriff Rick Fuller urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel during winter storms. “If you must be on the road, please reduce your speed and allow extra time to reach your destination,” the Facebook post read. He thanked first responders for their dedication and hard work in dangerous conditions, saying, “Your service to our community is deeply appreciated.”

Data from the IIHS and the NHTSA shows just how high stakes get while navigating snow or ice-covered roads.

Winter weather contributes to more than 116,000 injuries and 1,300 fatalities annually in the U.S., often due to drivers traveling too fast for icy conditions or failing to maintain safe following distances. In 2022 alone, over 24% of weather-related crashes occurred on snowy or icy pavement, according to NHTSA.