Multiple crashes block traffic on interstate heading to Columbia in morning commute
A multi-vehicle collision caused injuries and blocked all of the traffic heading toward Columbia on a major Midlands interstate during the Thursday morning commute, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The crash occurred minutes after 7 a.m. on Interstate 26, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Shortly after the vehicles involved in that wreck were removed from the highway, two more collisions occurred nearby on I-26 that blocked lanes and slowed traffic, the South Carolina Department of Transportation tweeted.
An 8 a.m. crash at Exit 107A (St. Andrews Road) resulted in two eastbound lanes being closed, while one eastbound lane was closed less than 10 minutes later because of another collision near Exit 103 (Harbison Boulevard), according to the SCDOT.
Another crash was reported on Piney Grove Road leading to I-26, according to the Department of Public Safety.
The eastbound lanes of the interstate looked more like a parking lot, with traffic backed up for miles, SCDOT cameras showed.
“Please slow down and use caution in the area,” the Irmo Fire Department said on Twitter.
Traffic began moving steadily after the lanes were reopened at about 8:30 a.m., according to the SCDOT.
No injuries were reported in the secondary crashes, but that was not the case in the first multi-vehicle collision in that area of I-26.
Following the initial wreck, all eastbound traffic on I-26 was blocked at near the 107 mile marker, Master Trooper David Jones said on Twitter.
That is near the junction with Interstate 20, where snow and ice were reported by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
Information on what caused the crash was not available, but eight vehicles were involved in the wreck, Jones said.
No major injures were reported, according to Jones.
Traffic was backed up for miles to Lake Murray Boulevard, before the four eastbound lanes were reopened shortly after 7:30 a.m.
Drivers are urged to use caution, as traffic moved slowly through the reopened highway, SCDOT camera showed.
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This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 7:35 AM.
