10-car crash leaves 1 dead, 4 injured and I-20 closed for hours in Lexington

One commuter died and two more were in critical condition after a 10 car crash on Interstate 20 West late Thursday morning, S.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Lance Cpl. David Jones said.

The interstate closed near the U.S. 378 exit late Thursday morning after an accident, according to a Lexington County Tweet.

The left and center lanes of I-20 West were open and moving smoothly Thursday evening.

Though investigators are still trying to piece together what happened, Jones said one car burst into flames after being struck during the massive accident. Firefighters managed to put out the fire, and investigators still have to check the integrity of the road, he added.

Four people were transported to local hospitals, and two of those were in critical condition, Jones said.

While names and makes of cars involved have yet to be released, two of the vehicles involved were commercial, Jones said in a video posted to Twitter.

Traffic became congested on I-20 East near the time of the accident, according to a S.C. Department of Transportation Tweet. Jones said traffic on U.S. 378 began to back up before 1 p.m. as first responders lines the roadways.

Wreckers arrived at the scene and began clearing away cars at about 3 p.m..

This story was originally published May 3, 2018 at 11:49 AM with the headline "10-car crash leaves 1 dead, 4 injured and I-20 closed for hours in Lexington."