Crash causes injuries, traffic jam on highway in Lexington County

Multiple crashes on a stretch of a major highway running through Lexington County have caused injuries and traffic jams Tuesday morning.

The first wreck happened at about 10 a.m., near the 127-mile marker on Interstate 26, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Information on injuries was not available, but DPS reported EMS was on the scene.

Moments later, another crash occurred at Exit 129 on I-26, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said on Twitter. That’s the junction for U.S. 21.

All of the westbound lanes were closed at about 10:30 a.m., SCDOT tweeted.

Injuries were reported in the collision by DPS, but there is no word on the number of people hurt or their conditions.

As of 11:15 a.m., vehicles were backed up for miles as they slowly navigated the two separate wrecks on I-26, traffic cameras showed.

Information on when the highway would be fully reopened was not available.

Traffic was already heavier than normal on I-26, as nearby roads were closed because of the visit of Vice President Mike Pence. His motorcade left Columbia Metropolitan Airport, and Airport Boulevard was closed all the way to I-26, according to the Cayce Department of Public Safety.

“Expect Traffic Delays and Road Closures throughout the Greater Columbia area today. Vice President Pence will be visiting the great state of South Carolina,” Cayce officials said on Facebook.

In addition to I-26 and Airport Boulevard, traffic delays are expected in Columbia by Pence’s visit.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 11:17 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription