Person killed in crash with tractor trailer on I-26 in South Carolina, cops say

One person was killed early Friday morning in Richland County in a crash on Interstate 26 that involved a tractor trailer, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

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The collision happened at about 5:45 a.m., just outside of Columbia, said Master Trooper William Bennett.

A 2015 Freightliner tractor trailer was driving east on I-26, according to Bennett. At the 100-mile marker, near the junction with Broad River Road, the tractor trailer hit a pedestrian who was walking across the eastbound lanes on I-26, Bennett said.

The pedestrian died at the scene, according to Bennett. The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the pedestrian.

Bennett said the driver, who was the only person in the tractor trailer, was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if the driver was wearing a seatbelt, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

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Through Sept. 27, at least 654 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2026, according to the state Department of Public Safety. A minimum of 914 people were killed in collisions in South Carolina in 2025, DPS data shows.

At least 42 people have died in Richland County crashes this year, and 48 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.

There have been multiple pedestrian deaths over the weekend in South Carolina, including fatalities in both Anderson and Dillon counties, according to the Highway Patrol.