Tractor trailer driver killed in crash that blocked highway for hours, SC cops say
One person was killed and another was injured Monday night when two tractor trailers were involved in a crash that blocked Interstate 20 for hours, South Carolina officials said.
Jaime Flores — a 49-year-old Manassas, Virginia resident — is the driver who died, according to the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office.
The collision happened at about 6 p.m. at the 94 mile marker on the eastbound side of I-20, said Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s in the Camden area of Kershaw County.
Both a 2019 International tractor trailer and a 2010 Freighliner tractor trailer driven by Flores were heading east on I-20, according to Ridgeway. The 2019 truck was slowing for traffic in a construction zone when it was hit in the rear by the 2010 semi that was carrying lumber, the coroner’s office said.
Flores died at the scene, according to Ridgeway.
The 2019 tractor trailer driver was hurt and taken to Prisma Health Richland hospital, Ridgeway said. Further information on that driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported in the crash that continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
There was no word if any of the people involved in the wreck were wearing seat belts.
All of the eastbound lanes were temporarily blocked, and I-20 wasn’t cleared until after 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
Through Sunday, 427 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 six people have died in Kershaw County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 11 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS said.
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This story was originally published June 18, 2024 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Tractor trailer driver killed in crash that blocked highway for hours, SC cops say."
