Tragic Crash Kills Five on Interstate 26 in Orangeburg County, South Carolina (SC)

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, SC- Thetandd.com writes that a horrific crash led to five fatalities on Interstate 26 this week. The wreck took place in the afternoon in Orangeburg County. Reports did not include information regarding the victims' identities. The wreck involved two trucks and another vehicle.*

One of the vehicles involved was identified as a 2001 Chevrolet SUV that was carrying seven people. The eastbound vehicle then crossed over a median. After crashing through a cable, the SUV collided with a 2020 Freightliner and then struck a 2007 Volvo semi-truck. Both of the trucks were traveling westbound. 

The impact caused the SUV to roll over. One of the two trucks then ignited. 

Two people were transported to the hospital, but their conditions are not known at this time. 

The wreck led to the closure of the westbound lanes while emergency responders worked at the scene. Traffic traveling in the westbound lanes was stopped leading to delays of over an hour, while traffic in the eastbound lanes was also slowed because of the accident. 

Police used the horrible crash to remind motorists in the state to use caution when driving, especially over the holiday weekend. Officers stated that motorists should follow traffic laws and use their seatbelts to stay safe on the road. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the deadly crash. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety writes that large truck crashes killed 4,136 people in 2018. Most of the victims in wrecks involving large trucks are people in passenger cars. In crashes between large trucks and other smaller vehicles, the victims are in the smaller vehicles 96 percent of the time. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or a family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://thetandd.com/news/local/five-killed-in-crash-on-i-26-in-orangeburg-county/article_f128f52b-cedd-552f-afc6-0ec338189389.html

https://www.iihs.org/topics/large-trucks