Armored truck crashes, plummets off interstate bridge near Columbia. Driver charged

An armored truck wrecked Saturday, went through guard rails and landed under a bridge and in water on Interstate 77 in Richland County near Columbia.

The incident happened just before 2 p.m. near mile marker 5 and Bluff Road in wet conditions. A spokesperson for the Highway Patrol said the vehicle ran off the left of the road and overturned. The driver was charged with driving too fast for conditions Saturday afternoon, according to Highway Patrol officer David Jones.

A spokesperson for Columbia-Richland fire and rescue said two occupants of the vehicle were transported by EMS to a hospital. Jones said the two suffered minor injuries.

Law enforcement and fire rescue were on the scene. Five fire trucks, an ambulance and two highway patrol cars had two lanes of the interstate blocked Saturday afternoon. Traffic was backed up for miles, and the accident brought a number of people out of their cars to look over and see the scene of the final landing spot for the truck.

The GardaWorld truck was the company name and the words “business solution” were on the side. It appeared to be the kind of truck that transports money. No money was on the interstate or in the water.

About 20 first responders were on the scene as well as a hazardous materials crew.

The truck spilled diesel fuel, according to Mike DeSumma with the Columbia Fire Department.

Employees of GardaWorld arrived to check on the scene and possibly pick up money, according to one first responder.

“I’ve seen a lot of vehicles pulled out of precarious places,” said a DOT worker on the scene, “but this one probably takes the cake here.”

A driver with Campbell’s Wrecker Service, who was working to get the truck out from under the bridge, shared the sentiment.

“It’s not often you find them between the bridge like that,” he said staring down in the drop-off where the truck fell.

This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 3:07 PM.