I-20 sees second deadly crash of the day in Columbia County

THOMSON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A crash killed at least one person Tuesday on Interstate 20 in Columbia County just a few miles from where a crash earlier in the day killed two law enforcement officers.

At least one person was killed in the nine-vehicle crash around mile marker 180 between the Thomson and Harlem exits.

Few details were available about the crash, but it occurred sometime after a wreck 10 miles to the east killed two law enforcement officers from Fulton County around 12:50 p.m.

DPS officials say the crash happened as a result of a tractor-trailer striking the back of a Toyota Rav4 SUV. From there, DPS investigators say, the tractor-trailer continued to strike seven other cars before coming to a stop.

The coroner identified the driver of the SUV as 54-year-old Brenda Anderson. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

After the crash involving the officers, the eastbound side of the interstate was shut down. But after the second crash, an even longer stretch of the roadway was closed, with traffic being diverted at Exit 175.

The Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team was en route to the scene and the crash was under investigation.

Troop E SCRT, Region 4 MCCD, and the Augusta Judicial District Attorney’s Office is assisting with the investigation into the crash.

Even before the dual crashes today, I-20 has been treacherous recently:

• The second crash was about six miles east of where a tow truck driver was killed in a hit-and-run crash less than two weeks ago. On Sept. 17, Jason Willis was struck by a vehicle as he was loading up another vehicle on Interstate 20 at Cobbham Road in McDuffie County. It happened as torrential rain soaked the region.
• On Monday night, a tractor-trailer caught fire near the Grovetown exit ramp on westbound Interstate 20, causing traffic problems.
• Hours earlier on Monday, all lanes of eastbound I-20 were closed in South Carolina a few miles north of North Augusta. A truck accident before 6 a.m. led to the closure near Bettis Academy Road, and only one lane was open for most of the rest of the day.

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