I-26 pileup involved 42 vehicles, authorities say

An afternoon thunderstorm and drivers rubbernecking at a minor accident on Interstate 26 caused the 42-vehicle pileup Monday that clogged the highway for more than three hours.

S.C. Highway Patrol Cpl. Paul Brouthers initially estimated 26 vehicles were involved in the wreck that shut down I-26 westbound in the middle of rush hour. On Tuesday, he said it actually was 42 vehicles in 11 different collisions less than one mile east of exit 199 in Summerville.

Sixteen people are known to have been injured, Brouthers said, but none so severely they had to be hospitalized overnight. All were treated and released.

It's amazing that nobody was seriously injured, Brouthers said. "I'm thankful for that," he said.

In his 27 years with the Highway Patrol, he said, "I've never seen a collision with that many vehicles involved."

The pileup happened in a downpour about 5:20 p.m., Brouthers said. The road was slick from the rain, and some passing drivers in the westbound lanes were looking over at a minor collision in the eastbound lanes. Some westbound cars slowed down, but some didn't. That started a chain reaction of collisions, he said.

No tickets were issued or charges filed, but the accident is still being investigated, Brouthers said.

The collisions happened less than a mile from the busy and congested exit 199 in Summerville, he said, but the exit ramp played no part in the collisions.

Many agencies worked to clear the highway, which took more than three hours. Eastbound traffic also ground to a halt for a time.

Melanie Williams, assistant vice president of marketing for Trident Health Systems, said 14 people injured in the collisions were treated at Trident Medical Center and two at Summerville Medical Center.

The medical centers regularly treat large numbers of patients from accidents, she said, though the injuries are often just bumps and bruises. About once each month, she said, a group of 15 to 25 arrive about the same time from a single incident. For instance, she said, during the first three months of each school year, the center treats victims from a school bus accident about once every three weeks. Most of the victims have only minor injuries, she said.

Medical officials are prepared to deal with collisions with mass casualties, she said. EMS workers call ahead and let medical center staffers know the number of victims who will be transported and what their medical needs might be. Hospital officials have a system in place to quickly call in employees to help, she said.

The collisions Monday may not have caused serious injuries, but they were a source of major frustration for many drivers trapped on the highway for hours. Many drivers were stuck so long they turned off their cars and got out and walked around. Some desperate to get off the highway drove across ditches and made paths through the woods to a frontage road. Some got stuck in the mud.

Brouthers said most drivers stuck on the highway, however, were very patient. A detour was put in place at the College Park Road exit. Traffic along the detour moved slowly, he said, but it was moving.

Brouthers also said a unified command system helped several agencies work together smoothly to clear the massive wreck. "To remove a 42-car collision in three hours is a major feat in itself," he said.