Tractor trailer truck wreck blocks Pond Branch Road at I-20 overpass

Gilbert, SC (Paul Kirby) – A tractor trailer truck and a car collided on the I-20 overpass at Pond Branch Road just before 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. This is at exit 44 off I-20 near the 44 Truck Stop.

According to the first firefighters who arrived on the scene, the truck lost its load of bricks and Pond Branch Road was completely blocked. Pond Branch Road is a major thoroughfare for many commuters heading to and from the Fairview, Gilbert, and Batesburg-Leesville area. Having the road completely blocked will disrupt traffic in a major way. Firefighters asked their dispatch to notify the SC Highway Patrol that this accident would require a “major cleanup” which could delay the reopening of the road for hours. There were Lexington County fire trucks blocking both the Boiling Springs and the Gilbert side of the interchange until the SCDOT could arrive and out up barricades. .

At 2:45 p.m. Friday, the cleanup had not even begun. It tool a great deal of time for workers to get the mess cleaned up and the road back open.