Elgin doctor killed in Michigan pileup

An Elgin doctor died Sunday in a pileup on a slick stretch of Interstate 94 in Western Michigan, police said.

The accident took place around 12:40 p.m. Sunday in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 94 east of Niles Road in Royalton Township - about 95 miles east of Chicago.

The doctor, 31-year-old Raymond Candage, was on his way to visit his son in Battle Creek, Mich., for the holidays, police said.

Police found wrapped gifts in Candage's trunk and plan to deliver them to his son.

Candage's 2007 Hyundai Accent smashed into the rear of a semi truck that was stopped in the left lane, peeling off the roof of the car and killing him.

The semi was stopped because of an accident less than 10 minutes earlier that involved about 15 vehicles, including two semi trucks, police said.

At the time of the crash, there were white-out conditions and winds blowing at 40 mph; the interstate was slippery and covered with snow, police said.

"He was going too fast for conditions," said Lt. Don Goulooze of the Berrien County Sheriff's Department. "He probably didn't see the trailer until he got on top of it."

The driver of the semi, 42-year-old Joseph Bernard of London, Canada, and his passenger were not hurt.

About eight vehicles, including one semi truck, piled up in back of the first pileup, police said, and numerous other vehicles slid off the road or crashed into each other throughout the day.

"There were probably 100 cars that were off in the ditch or got in a crash that day," Goulooze said.

A few were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Many of the cars, including some with Illinois plates, were not drivable, and some people were taken to nearby hotels.

The crash shut down a stretch of the interstate until about 5:15 p.m., police said.

No charges have been filed, and no citations have been issued in connection with Sunday's accidents on Interstate 94 in Michigan, police said.

Drugs and alcohol did not appear to have been a factor in the fatal crash, according to police.

Michigan authorities, including the Berrien County Sheriff's Department and Michigan State Police, are investigating the crash. Police did not provide any new details Monday morning.

The weather Sunday made for treacherous conditions along regional thoroughfares, causing pileups and shutting down roads.

In a separate crash Sunday, four people were killed when their car crossed the median and was hit by a semi truck along an icy portion of an Indiana Toll Road.

Wire services contributed to this report.