Interstate blocked following crash that caused injuries during morning commute
Drivers were stuck in traffic at multiple points on an interstate running through the Midlands during the Wednesday morning commute following a series of crashes.
One collision blocked westbound lanes on Interstate 26, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety reported.
Injures were also reported in the wreck, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Information on the number of people hurt, and their conditions, was not available.
The crash happened at about 7:30 a.m., one mile east of Exit 76, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said on Twitter. That’s in Newberry County, near and is the junction with S.C. 219 toward Pomaria.
The collision created delays for drivers on the highway heading from the Columbia area toward the Upstate.
Information on the cause of the wreck was not available. The interstate was reopened at about 8:40 a.m., SCDOT tweeted..
This was not the only collision reported on I-26 that slowed drivers on Wednesday morning.
Another crash was reported just before 8 a.m. at the junction of I-26 and S.C. 126 in Richland County, SCDOT tweeted.
All eastbound lanes of the highway were blocked, SCDOT tweeted.
No injuries were reported in that wreck, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Traffic cameras showed the collision created a traffic jam for drivers heading from Lexington County toward Columbia. Cars were backed up all the way to Exit 102, at Lake Murray Boulevard, traffic cameras showed.
Drivers heading from Harbison, to Piney Grove and through St. Andrews toward Malfunction Junction were delayed by the collision.
The lanes were reopened at about 8:25 a.m., SCDOT tweeted.
A third collision was reported on the same stretch of I-26, near 126, at 8:40 a.m., according to SCDOT.
One westbound lane was closed following that wreck, SCDOT tweeted. No injuries were reported in that crash.
Information on what caused that crashes was not available, but the Richland County Sheriff’s Department warned drivers to take caution because of wet roads from a night of rain.
“We’re seeing too many close calls on the road this morning! The roads are slippery. Please slow down! Better be late and safe, than end up in a crash!” the sheriff’s department tweeted.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 8:01 AM.
