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Two killed in I-85
crash
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com
Interstate 85 was in
gridlock until about 12:30 p.m. as the southbound lanes were completely shut
down while medical personnel, firefighters, accident investigators and the
Cherokee County Coroner's Office processed the scene.
Lance Cpl. Ron Johnson
of the S.C. Highway Patrol confirmed Friday afternoon a 44-year-old mother and
her 19-year-old daughter were the deceased occupants of a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu.
Their names were not yet being released pending notification of the
family.
The occupants of the
second car involved in the wreck were identified as brothers; Roy Anthony Evans,
20, and Raymond Alexander Evans, 18, both of Old Pro's Drive in Gaffney. Police
were not yet sure who was driving the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro. Both brothers were
ejected from their car. Both were transported to Spartanburg Regional Medical
Center.
Police said none of
the four people involved in the accident were wearing seatbelts.
Police said the Camaro was headed north on Interstate 85 and crossed over the median into the southbound lane, hitting the southbound Malibu head-on. Macedonia and Gaffney
firefighters needed hydraulic extrication tools to separate the mangled wreckage
of the Malibu, from which Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler and emergency
personnel removed two bodies.
With traffic at a
standstill on the Interstate, Highway Patrol blocked the Exit 90 entrance ramp
to preclude any more traffic from entering the highway.
Traffic had been backed up for at least 10 miles at one point, Johnson said, though it started flowing again after noon. While the northbound
lanes were clear, they too were backed up for several miles as onlookers, many
on cell phones, drove slowly by the accident scene with craned
necks.
The accident occurred
just across from the normally busy Prime Outlets - Gaffney shopping mall.
Business appeared slow due to a lack of access from the Interstate. Workers from
several shops came out to the parking lot to see what
happened.
Check Monday's edition
of The Gaffney Ledger for more details and photos.
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