Traffic backs up on Columbia road after person threatens to jump off bridge, cops say
Traffic was backed up on an interstate running through Columbia Wednesday afternoon when a person threatened to jump off a bridge.
The incident on Interstate 20 happened shortly after noon, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
It happened on the westbound lanes of I-20, near Exit 65, which is the junction with U.S. 176 (Broad River Road).
The person was safely removed from the Broad River Bridge and was no longer in danger at about 1 p.m., the Richland County Sheriff’s Department told The State.
Following sheriff’s department protocol, EMS was called and the person was transported to an area hospital for an evaluation.
Even after the person left the bridge, traffic cameras showed emergency responders on the scene with vehicles backed up for miles.
Shortly after 1 p.m., a collision happened a few miles up the highway near Exit 68, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation. That’s the exit for S.C. 215 (Monticello Road).
DPS said injuries were reported in the crash. Information on the number of people hurt, and their conditions, was not available.
There was no word on the cause of the crash, or if it was related to the previous traffic jam.
SCDOT said one lane was temporarily closed, but even after it reopened vehicles moved slowly through the area, traffic cameras showed.
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