2 dead in large-scale I-95 crash near Yemassee; southbound lanes shuttered overnight
A devastating collision on I-95 Tuesday afternoon prompted an overnight shutdown of the interstate’s southbound lanes near Yemassee. Two people were confirmed dead, according to Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey.
The fatal multi-vehicle crash happened around 4:30 p.m. on southbound I-95 near mile marker 41, about a half-mile north of Yemassee town limits. As “rescue operations” began, troopers with the South Carolina Highway Patrol shut down all southbound lanes of the interstate in the area, asking drivers to detour through Yemassee.
In an initial news release around 10 p.m. Tuesday, SCHP Cpl. Nick Pye said the crash involved multiple personal vehicles and multiple commercial vehicles. The circumstances of the collision were not immediately clear.
The Yemassee Police Department, whose officers helped process the scene, said tow trucks began clearing the affected vehicles around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The southbound lanes of I-95 were reopened around 3 a.m. the following morning.
As of Wednesday morning, the Colleton County Coroner’s Office had not identified the two victims of the crash.
I-95 has posted speed limits of 70 mph — with a minimum of 45 mph — in the area of Tuesday’s deadly crash.
The collision brought traffic backups for commuters around Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton counties that began with the Tuesday evening rush hour and extended into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Camera views from the South Carolina Department of Transportation showed interstate traffic flowing normally as of 8 a.m. Wednesday.
This report will be updated.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 9:52 AM.
