Ten-vehicle crash that shut down I-20 in Lexington County for hours killed this man, coroner says

One driver was killed amid a 10-vehicle collision on I-20 in Lexington County that caused traffic problems for much of Thursday.

A busy stretch of the interstate was shut down, traffic was detoured and a number of people were hospitalized.

Kenneth Johnson, 59, of Great Falls was pronounced dead at the scene because of injuries he sustained in the collision, according to Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher.

The collision occurred shortly after 11 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-20, near mile marker 61, Fisher reported. It was nearly 12 hours later when the wreck was completely cleared.

Johnson’s vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer, causing it to collide with two other vehicles, Fisher said. The tractor-trailer went on to collide with at least one other vehicle and cause a chain reaction of less serious collisions among multiple other vehicles.

One car burst into flames after being struck during the wreck, according to Lance Cpl. David Jones of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Several people involved in the multi-vehicle crash, including Johnson’s passenger, were transported to area hospitals, Fisher said.

Two people were listed in critical condition, Jones said.

Traffic was affected in both directions of I-20, especially as officials rerouted backed-up traffic. That also caused congestion on I-26 and other Midlands roadways.

The westbound lanes of I-20 were closed for hours, with two of the three eventually opening for the flow of traffic by the late stages of Thursday's evening commute.

At 10:41 p.m., the South Carolina Department of Transportation reported that all westbound lanes had been cleared and the Friday morning commute should not be impacted by the deadly collision.

The crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

This story was originally published May 4, 2018 at 12:21 AM with the headline "Ten-vehicle crash that shut down I-20 in Lexington County for hours killed this man, coroner says."