Columbia Fire Department has warning for drivers after truck crashes into creek

A pickup truck ran off a major highway and submerged into a creek Sunday night, the Columbia Fire Department said.

It was about 7 p.m. when emergency crews responded to the crash near mile marker 6 on Interstate 77, the fire department said. That’s near the exit for Shop Road.

The pickup was driving north on I-77 when it ran off the highway and went down an embankment into a creek, according to the fire department.

All of the people inside the pickup were rescued, but were taken to an area hospital with what the fire department called minor injuries. Further information on their conditions was not available.

Information about the cause of the crash was not available, but the fire department used the watery wreck as an opportunity to warn drivers to be safe during bad weather.

More than an inch of rain was recorded and there were powerful winds after 6 p.m. in Columbia, according to Weather Underground.

“A reminder to everyone out there — please use caution on the roads during inclement weather,” the fire department said.

More severe weather is forecast for the Columbia area on Monday.

A line of severe thunderstorms is expected to push through the area late Monday afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service. The storms are most likely to hit the Midlands between 5 and 10 p.m.

The storms could cause numerous damaging wind gusts in excess of 60-70 mph, and tornadoes, severe hail and flash flooding risks are possible, the National Weather Service said.

This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 9:03 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