LEXINGTON, S.C. — An overpass over Interstate 20 in Lexington County will be closed until further notice after it was damaged during an accident on Sunday.
According the South Carolina Highway Patrol on Sunday, September 20, a fatal accident occurred on I-20 when a tractor trailer struck a bridge.
Monday afternoon, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher identified the truck driver as Benjamin Edward Parker, 44, of Douglasville, Georgia.
A GoFundMe page set up by a friend of the family says he was a husband and father of a young daughter.
Parker was the only occupant of the vehicle, and he was wearing a seat belt when the incident occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident remains under investigation by the S.C. Highway Patrol.
Andy Leaphart is the Chief Engineer of Operations for the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT).
"Crews worked through the night, both DOT and contractors, to clean up the debris so that we could fully access the bridge (Monday) morning," said Leaphart. "Bridge inspection teams have completed their assessments earlier (Monday) and our now developing a path forward as far as repairs."
The overpass is located between Exit 58 and Exit 55 on I-20.
According to SCDOT, other bridges in the area have been previously damaged by being hit, but the Cedarcrest Drive Overpass has not been struck recently.
"Luckily for the bridge, he hit what we would describe more as a glancing blow. He did not hit head on. He kind of swerved off to the side where he hit it," explained Leaphart. "A lot of the damage was just from the ensuing fire where it burned."
The tractor trailer destroyed the guardrails that previously surrounded the columns and contractors have now placed new guardrails in their place.
Leaphart said crews wanted to make sure the bridge was not critically damaged and could fall. They determined that it is not the case at this time.
SCDOT says they will have to conduct several repairs before opening the overpass back up to traffic. Officials believe the overpass will be closed for several months.
"Anytime we lose a structure like that for whatever reason, it can change our daily commute. We've been in touch with local officials as well to let them know the impacts and the time frame. The overpass road is more of a local route, it's not a route with a lot of out-of-town folks on it," said Leaphart. "We ask folks to be patient and know that we are expediting a path forward to get it repaired and hopefully back in service soon."