All lanes reopen on I-95 SB bridge over Lake Marion in Clarendon County after multi-vehicle pileup wreck
UPDATE: All lanes are open at 6 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2.
UPDATE: As of 8 p.m. Oct. 1, wreckers and S.C. Department of Transportation crews have told drivers and their passengers they are about 25% of the way through getting vehicles moved away from the scene and off the bridge. It is possible there were more than a dozen 18-wheelers and more than 60 total vehicles involved. Still no official word on injuries, but there was not a coroner's vehicle on scene. The Sumter Item is on scene to gather information and talk to people first-hand.
Some whose cars are drivable have left, while others have been told it could still be hours, though crews are beginning to get through the pileup faster now.
The Santee Welcome Center has stayed open past normal hours to allow drivers a place to wait. Some of those motorists include a mother who is driving from New Orleans to Florida for her grandchild's birthday and another woman who is trying to get to her son's wedding in Florida tomorrow.
There are no emergency lanes on the bridge, so wreckers are having to go in order of where they're stalled.
Area hotels are offering discounted rates for stranded motorists, we've been told.
There is a detour at SB Exit 102, but depending on your route, it could add at least an hour to your drive, so avoid the area if possible.
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Columbia (Oct. 1, 2026) – All I-95 southbound lanes across Lake Marion in Clarendon County are closed at this time due to a multi-vehicle crash that occurred earlier this morning, Oct. 1.
A detour is in place beginning at mile marker 102. SCDOT encourages drivers to avoid the area and plan alternate routes.
Sumter Item reporters on scene say the crash happened on the bridge and involves about 40 cars, between exits 100-98.
Clarendon Fire Rescue told them that they and other agencies are in the process of removing the vehicles from the southbound lanes. Northbound lanes are open but moving slowly.
Multiple drivers involved and on scene told Item reporters it was foggy Thursday morning and that one person was airlifted but that they have not heard of any fatalities.
The official word so far is that South Carolina Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation are investigating.
SCDOT will continue to work closely with SCDPS and emergency responders to help restore travel.
SCDOT urges anyone traveling in this area to use caution and drive slowly. SCDOT will provide additional updates as they become available.
This continues to be a developing story. Stay tuned at TheItem.com for updates. Sign up for our free email newsletter at www.theitem.com/newsletter.