(Update: I-94 reopened just before 1 p.m., after crash cleanup)

GRASS LAKE TWP., MI - Westbound I-94 is closed between Race Road at exit 147 and Mount Hope Road at exit 150, due to a multiple-vehicle pileup due to whiteout conditions, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The highway closed around 10:22 a.m. on Friday, March 9, per a tweet from MDOT. Westbound I-94 will remain closed as crews sort the wreckage, Jackson County Undersheriff Christopher Kuhl said. An estimated 35 to 45 vehicles were involved, he said.

Several people involved in the crash --but not injured -- were taken to the Jackson County Health Department to meet up with family members, Kuhl said. Three people with moderate injuries were taken to Henry Ford Allegiance Health, Kuhl said.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but it is believed a semitrailer that jack-knifed started the pileup after hitting a snow squall, Kuhl said.

Ian MacDonald drove one of the vehicles involved in the crash. The Grand Blanc native said whiteout conditions started about three miles before the incident.

"I probably slid for, if I were to guess, at least 400 feet," MacDonald said. "I had an RV in front of me. So I'm like, 'Do I choose the RV or the guardrail? So I chose the guardrail. So I rode the guardrail all the way down until the car stopped."

Many vehicles moved to the right lane and put hazard lights on before the crash.

"I thought I was good at 10 mph," MacDonald said. "When your foot is on the brake and the car's still going, there's nothing you can do."

Units from the Michigan State Police, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety are responding to the incident, according to the sheriff's office.

"Reports of multiple collisions with numerous vehicles and semi's involved," a Facebook message said from the sheriff's office. "Both east & west Bound are stopped completely. Please find alternate routes and avoid the area."

Eastbound lanes were congested all the way back to exit 142, per MDOT, although there was no incident in the eastbound lanes.

Sounds like that crash on WB I-94 at Race Road Exit 147 is pretty significant, involving multiple vehicles due to whiteout conditions. Avoid the area and plan an alternate route. — Michigan DOT (@MichiganDOT) March 9, 2018

Anybody involved in the incident should call the Jackson County Sheriff's Office at 517-768-7901 to complete crash reports.