At 6:56 p.m. on Wednesday, a fiery crash near Exit 96 shut down Interstate 85 in South Carolina's Cherokee County.
A man was driving on I-85 when a tractor trailer was driving north in a construction zone. The trailer hit the guard rail on the right side of the interstate before going over the concrete barrier. The tractor trailer crashed into the man’s car and another tractor trailer heading southbound, according to Dennis Fowler, the Cherokee County Coroner.
The man who died was 73-year-old Donald Charles Harwood, according to the coroner. Harwood was trapped in his car and died at the scene.
“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,” said Fowler. “This is yet another victim of an ill-fated construction nightmare.”
As fire crews worked to put out the vehicle fire, I-85 was blocked in both directions with northbound traffic being detoured off at Exit 96.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
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Source: WYFF 4, WGHP-TV