Three-vehicle collision on I-20 kills two people and injures another, SC cops say

Two people were killed and another was injured Sunday in a crash on a section of Interstate 20 that runs through Richland County, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol .

The three-vehicle collision happened at about 3:30 a.m., Master Trooper Gary Miller said Tuesday.

A 2004 Mercedes-Benz, a 2009 Honda sedan and a Dodge sedan were all driving east on I-20 and collided at the 70 mile marker , according to Miller. That’s in Columbia, near the junctions with U.S. 321/Fairfield Road and U.S. 21/North Main Street.

Information about what caused the wreck was not available, but the driver of the Mercedes-Benz and one occupant from the Honda died, Miller said.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the victims who died.

There was another person in the Honda who was injured and taken to an area hospital, according to Miller. Further information on that surviving victim’s condition was not available.

Miller said the Dodge driver was the only person in that car, and was not injured.

There was no word if any of the people involved in the wreck were wearing seat belts.

Information about what caused the collision was not available, but it continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

All of the eastbound lanes on I-20 near the 70 mile marker were temporarily closed, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation. The scene wasn’t cleared until after 10:30 a.m., SCDOT said.

Through Sunday, 648 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 38 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 61 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS said.