NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. — The Newberry County Sheriff's Office is still investigating allegations that an interstate crash that caused a pile-up and critically injured three people may have been intentional.
In an update on Sunday, Sheriff Lee Foster said that his office is handling the investigation due to a claim that road rage led to the crash, which happened just before 5 p.m. not far from the Whitmire exit.
Foster said that two vehicles - a sedan and an SUV - were initially headed west on I-26 when they collided and crossed the cable barrier into the eastbound lanes.
The crash also caused a pile-up due to secondary crashes.
A total of four people were taken to the hospital - three of them in critical condition. Of the three critically injured people, two were taken by helicopter, Foster said. The sheriff added that one of the critically injured victims is a juvenile and all of the injured were from the initial crash.
A dog was also injured in the crash and is currently in the care of animal control.
The crash, which was called in around 4:55 p.m., wasn't cleared until around 8:30 p.m., Sheriff Foster said.
The sheriff's office is still working to determine if the road rage claim is valid. No arrests have been made or charges filed.