Whiteout conditions near Grayling, Michigan on Jan. 7 led to an odd and terrifying situation for one family.

Local authorities responded to a 911 call made by Matthew and Pamela Menz around 2 a.m. The couple explained that they and their two adult children were trapped in their own minivan as it was dragged by a semi down Interstate 75 for 16 miles.

Matthew Menz, attempting to navigate a nasty storm in the dead of night, had struck the rear of the truck, lodging the front of the van under the semi's back bumper. The truck driver, unaware that he had been rear-ended, then proceeded to pull the minivan behind him for miles.

Menz explained to the dispatcher:

If the van breaks out from underneath him, I don't have any control of this thing. Wherever your officers are I'd appreciate if they get in front of him and stop him.

Locating the Menz' vehicle was difficult, given the stormy conditions and the fact that they were steadily progressing down the road, but eventually, the unusual procession was spotted by Crawford County Sheriff's deputies.

The truck was pulled over by the deputies, and the driver pulled into a rest stop, only then discovering his reluctant hangers-on.

The family, while shaken, did not sustain any injuries.

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