SC Highway Patrol responded to more than a thousand traffic incidents during winter storm; no fatalities
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – Troopers with the South Carolina Highway Patrol and State Transport Police responded to more than a thousand calls for service as winter weather impacted the state over the weekend.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety said the two departments received 1,095 calls between January 21st at 5:00 a.m. and January 22nd at 10:00 a.m., during the second winter storm to impact South Carolina in as many weeks.
SCDPS said there were no weather-related highway fatalities during the weekend winter storm.
-
Crash on the US 52 Connector | SC Dept. of Public Safety -
Photo: SC Dept. of Public Safety
While the Lowcountry and PeeDee mostly saw freezing rain and ice, areas across the Midlands received a few inches of snow as a storm system met below freezing temperatures late Friday night into early Saturday morning.
In all, SCDPS said they investigated 479 collisions, assisted 346 motorists, were called to 115 abandoned vehicles, and responded to four trees in the roadway.
Troopers closed the US 52 Connector in North Charleston early Saturday morning after ice began to form on the roadway. There were three traffic incidents there – among them was a car that went down an embankment and a truck that slid and traveled over a guard rail.
No injuries were reported in those cases.
Troopers urged drivers to stay off the roads until they could be treated by SC Department of Transportation crews and ice melted.
Ice on roads created issues along I-526 and on the Ravenel Bridge over the weekend. Police also shut down the Ravenel Bridge on both Saturday and Sunday due to ice falling from the suspension cables.
