SANTEE, SOUTH CAROLINA — A massive chain reaction crash on the I-95 bridge over Lake Marion near Santee Thursday morning involving 65 vehicles — including 15 tractor-trailers — shut down southbound lanes for more than 20 hours after dense fog reduced visibility to near zero, leaving drivers no time to stop. One person was airlifted to a hospital and several others were injured. No deaths were reported.
South Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Nick Pott confirmed the crash occurred on southbound I-95 between mile markers 98 and 100 on the Orangeburg-Clarendon County line. Santee fire officials said thick fog had engulfed the bridge, drastically cutting visibility. First responders arrived to find trucks twisted and smashed, several vehicles wedged beneath tractor-trailers, and four people requiring extrication. Eleven people were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. The condition of the airlifted patient was not immediately available.
Trooper Pott urged drivers to avoid the area entirely. “If you can avoid the area, please do so. Use alternate routes. If you do have to travel north on I-95, it’s very important that you have gas in your vehicle and you’re prepared for your commute to take a little longer than normal.”
‘How Lucky We Were No One Went Over the Edge’
For travelers caught on the bridge, the suddenness of the chain reaction turned an ordinary morning into a crisis. Noah Mandel was driving his family from Virginia to Walt Disney World when his car was swept into the crash.
“It was crazy, it was one of those things that you don’t ever think is going to happen to you,” Mandel said. “You could see a car behind us just started to smoke and caught on fire. You could see other people in front were trapped in their cars and you’re all just kind of wondering what to do next.”
With Lake Marion directly below, Mandel said the crash came uncomfortably close to a far worse outcome. “It was definitely a thought in my mind of how lucky we were no one went over the edge into the water.”
Nearby resident Mike Fausette heard the disaster from his home. “It was people running in the back of everybody and it was real loud. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
The Cleanup
Trooper Nick Cloud described conditions on the bridge midway through the response. “We’ve got commercial motor vehicles as well as regular vehicles that are disabled. We’re working with our tow truck partners in an effort to get these vehicles out of here. We’ve got to do it safely. We’ve got to make sure that we keep our first responders safe as well.”
SCHP troopers worked with SCDOT, local law enforcement, and towing companies around the clock to clear the scene. Trooper Nick Pye described the scale of the operation in a later video update, showing the distance between where the first vehicle came to rest — marked in orange spray paint — and where tow crews were still working hours later.
“Between that orange spray paint and that boom truck were vehicles on both sides in both lanes,” Pye said. “We’ve been able to work with our other local law enforcement partners as well as our tow truck drivers and companies and we’ve gotten a lot of vehicles out of here and we’re working hard, extremely hard.”
Southbound I-95 was rerouted at Exit 102. All lanes fully reopened around 6 a.m. Friday after more than 20 hours of continuous work. Northbound lanes remained open throughout but with slow traffic.
Orangeburg County Victim Services and the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office were among the many agencies on scene. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Interviews courtesy of local media and South Carolina Highway Patrol.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
