Coroner describes stretch of I-85 as 'construction nightmare' after fiery crash kills one person
Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler has confirmed his office was called to a vehicle fire on Interstate 85 Wednesday evening.
Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler has confirmed his office was called to a vehicle fire on Interstate 85 Wednesday evening.
Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler has confirmed his office was called to a vehicle fire on Interstate 85 Wednesday evening.
The Cherokee County Coroner's Office has released additional information regarding a multi-vehicle fiery crash on Interstate 85.
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On Wednesday, at 6:56 p.m., July 10, a tractor-trailer rig traveling north in the construction zone on I-85 at mile marker 96 near Gaffney, South Carolina, hit a guard rail on the right side of the roadway before going over the concrete barrier separating the north and southbound lanes, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said.
According to officials, the tractor-trailer sideswiped another tractor-trailer heading southbound and hit a 2021 Nissan Rogue Sport head-on. The SUV driver was trapped in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers said both tractor-trailer drivers were injured. Their conditions are unknown at this time.
The driver of the Nissan Rogue was identified as Donald Charles Harwood, 73, of Greenville.
According to SCDOT traffic cameras, all lanes on I-85 were closed for a time while fire crews were working to put out the vehicle fire in the southbound lanes near Exit 96.
“While some sections of I-85 are much better with the opening of those with six lanes, others that remain under construction still pose a danger to motorists traveling through Cherokee County. This is yet another victim of an ill-fated construction nightmare,” Fowler said.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash.