SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. – Officials say alcohol was found inside a truck involved in a wrong-way crash that killed four people on Interstate 85 Wednesday night.
The wreck, which happened in the northbound lanes near Exit 68 around 11 p.m., involved six vehicles and 12 people.
Seven people were taken to the hospital for injuries. Three were pronounced dead at the scene and another later died.
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Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger says Martha Marie Diaz of Tinsley Heights Dr., Josh Leroy Smith of Sawyer Rd., Shiree Lynette Whitaker of Pierpont Ave Ext. all died on the scene. Edwin Ferguson of Fernwood Glendale Rd. died at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.
A trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol says he was traveling north on Business 85 when he saw a driver going the wrong way in the next lane. The trooper had to avoid being hit and he called dispatch, according to troopers.
State transport officers were also in the area, traveling southbound, trying to get the driver to stop.
The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office and the South Carolina Highway Patrol are conducting a joint investigation into the collision.
Toxicology results are pending to see if alcohol was a factor in the crash.
