Two people were killed in separate crashes on the same stretch of Interstate 77 in Richland County in less than two hours Wednesday night, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
One of the fatal wrecks was on the southbound side of I-77 in Columbia, while the other occurred about three miles away on the northbound side, Master Trooper Gary Miller said.
According to Miller, a single-vehicle crash occurred around 9:20 p.m.
A 2005 Ford Mustang was traveling south on I-77, and at the 15 mile marker the car ran off the right side of the highway, where it overturned and crashed, Miller said.
A passenger in the Mustang died, Miller said.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the passenger.
Miller did not say whether the Mustang driver was injured, but no other injuries were reported.
Information about what caused the Mustang to veer off I-77 near the intersection with Forest Drive in the Fort Jackson area was not available, but the crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.
Less than two hours later, around 11:15 p.m., there was another fatal wreck on I-77, according to Miller.
Both a 2012 Chrysler 300 sedan and a 2019 Harley-Davidson motorcycle were traveling north on I-77, Miller said. At the 15 mile marker, near the intersection with Percival Road, the motorcycle struck the right rear corner of the car and then overturned before running off the right side of I-77, Miller said.
The motorcyclist died, Miller said. The coroner’s office has not publicly identified the motorcyclist.
Miller reported no other injuries.
It was not stated whether the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet, or whether any of the people in any of the cars involved in the separate collisions were wearing seat belts.
Information about what caused the motorcycle to crash into the Chrysler was not available, and Miller did not say whether the wreck is still under investigation.
According to the Department of Public Safety, 689 people had been killed on South Carolina roadways in 2024 through Sunday. Last year, 1,030 people died in accidents in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 42 people have died in crashes in Richland County in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 61 deaths in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
