What began as a call for a six-vehicle wreck on Interstate 95 grew within minutes into a massive emergency spanning the southbound bridge over Lake Marion, ultimately involving 69 vehicles, sending dozens of people for medical treatment and closing one of the East Coast’s busiest travel corridors for much of a day.
Despite crushed vehicles, multiple entrapments, a vehicle fire and wreckage stretching across the bridge, no deaths were reported in the Oct. 1 pileup.
The crash happened amid dense fog that sharply reduced visibility near the Clarendon-Orangeburg county line. About 92 vehicles were stopped on the bridge during the incident, according to Clarendon County Fire Rescue. Of those, 69 — 54 passenger vehicles and 15 tractor-trailers — were involved in the collision.
The response would stretch from Thursday morning into early Friday as firefighters, law enforcement officers, medical personnel, transportation workers and tow operators worked first to reach the injured and then to untangle and remove dozens of damaged vehicles.
Before 9 a.m.: Dense fog settles over Lake Marion
Fog was concentrated around Lake Marion Thursday morning, creating dangerous driving conditions along the interstate.
Dense fog was reported at Manning/Santee Cooper Airport between 7 and 9 a.m., with visibility falling to about a quarter-mile, according to AccuWeather. Satellite imagery showed clearer conditions not far north of the lake, meaning southbound motorists could have encountered sharply reduced visibility over a relatively short distance.
Photos taken near the time of the crash showed the bridge largely obscured by fog.
8:50 a.m.: The first call
At approximately 8:50 a.m., Clarendon County Fire Rescue was dispatched to I-95 southbound near mile marker 100 for what was initially reported as a six-vehicle collision.
The scope of the emergency quickly changed.
Dispatchers updated responding crews several times as reports came in of additional vehicles involved. Crews were also told a vehicle was on fire.
The chain-reaction collision eventually stretched across the Lake Marion bridge between Clarendon and Orangeburg counties.
Traffic came to a standstill so quickly that some first-arriving emergency personnel could not drive their vehicles to the patients. They staged their apparatus and continued on foot while CCFR sought another way to bring equipment into the scene.
Law enforcement temporarily shut down the northbound lanes, allowing emergency vehicles to travel south in those lanes to gain access.
Firefighters reaching the burning vehicle found its occupants had escaped. With fire apparatus unable to reach it through the wreckage, personnel carried portable extinguishers to the vehicle and put out the fire by hand.
Morning: Rescue and medical response expands
As crews worked their way through the wreckage, at least two vehicles were confirmed to have occupants trapped inside who required extrication, according to CCFR.
Seventeen patients were transported to McLeod Health Clarendon by CCFR. Other agencies transported additional patients, leaving the department without a final count of everyone taken for treatment. MUSC Health Orangeburg reported receiving about 20 patients from the wreck. One person was transported by helicopter.
Authorities later reported two serious injuries and multiple minor injuries.
Clarendon County School District provided a bus to help transport ambulatory patients to the hospital, while people who were not injured but could not leave the bridge were moved to a staging area near the interstate rest area. As wrecked vehicles were cleared, responders helped reunite stranded motorists with vehicles that could still be driven.
Late morning: Both directions shut down
The magnitude of the response temporarily brought traffic in both directions to a halt.
At 11:16 a.m., CCFR reported all northbound and southbound lanes remained closed as multiple agencies worked the scene.
Northbound lanes reopened by 12:30 p.m., but the southbound side remained completely blocked.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation established a southbound detour beginning at mile marker 102 and urged motorists to avoid the area and find alternate routes. Because of Lake Marion and the limited crossings available, detouring around the closure added significant distance for travelers.
Afternoon: Rescue operation becomes a massive cleanup
By the afternoon, the immediate rescue operation was increasingly shifting toward the painstaking task of removing damaged cars, trucks and tractor-trailers from the bridge.
At 3:43 p.m., CCFR reported northbound traffic was moving, while southbound lanes were expected to remain closed for an extended period.
The bridge’s configuration complicated the removal process. Tow operators had limited room to maneuver around the wreckage, meaning vehicles had to be removed methodically to create access to those farther into the crash scene.
Tow companies from around the state were brought in to assist. Vehicles involved in the collision were moved to a nearby location so law enforcement could continue handling crash reports.
CCFR deployed three engines, one rescue unit, four medic units, five administrative vehicles and a side-by-side, with more than 20 department personnel involved in the response. Its operations concluded at approximately 6 p.m., although Highway Patrol, SCDOT, tow operators and other agencies remained.
SCDOT personnel also inspected the bridge as cleanup continued. The agency said the structure was not determined to be unsafe for emergency responders or the operations necessary to clear the scene.
Into the night: Wreckage cleared vehicle by vehicle
Work continued for hours after dark as cars, trucks and tractor-trailers were removed from the narrow bridge.
One southbound lane reopened around 3 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2. By approximately 6 a.m., authorities reported all lanes had reopened, ending a closure that had begun nearly 21 hours earlier.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol continued investigating the collision.
A moment of celebration amid the wreckage
One unexpected story from the hours-long ordeal emerged after the interstate reopened.
Kevin Cossa and Meghan Quinn were traveling south from Philadelphia for a vacation when they became caught in the pileup. After the crash, they got out of their vehicle and checked on others nearby.
Cossa had been carrying an engagement ring and had planned to propose during their trip. Instead, while the interstate was shut down and the couple waited amid the aftermath of the wreck, he proposed on the bridge.
Quinn said yes.
The couple was later treated at MUSC Health Orangeburg.
Response brings together agencies, community
In the days after the wreck, Clarendon County Fire Rescue credited a broad network of agencies and community organizations with helping manage the incident, including dispatchers, the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, county emergency management, Highway Patrol, neighboring departments, medical personnel, tow operators and transportation officials.
The department also recognized McLeod Health Clarendon, Clarendon County School District, the American Red Cross and local businesses that provided food, water, transportation and other assistance to responders and motorists.
CCFR’s full statement reflecting on the response appears separately on this week’s Public Safety page.
The crash also occurred as work is underway to replace the aging I-95 bridges over Lake Marion. SCDOT and the U.S. Department of Transportation broke ground earlier this year on the project, which will replace the northbound and southbound spans built in the 1960s. The corridor is a major route for passenger and freight traffic along the East Coast.
Construction is expected to continue through 2030.
