Officials speak out about chemical spill traffic accident in Aiken County
'The tractor-trailer had hazardous material that it was hauling. That hazardous material has been identified as methyl acetate, which is a highly flammable hazardous material,' said Jason Griffin, Major, Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
'Just saw the 18-wheeler leaking out like some fluid of whatnot, and on it, it says flammable,' said Bahseem Peterson, Helped the driver out of the truck. 'So, we were trying to get everybody to back up as far as possible and get the young lady out of the 18-wheeler and get her back as far as possible.'
The driver had to be cut out of the truck and was transported by EMS to MCG.
'I saw the truck go off of the overpass, so I took off running,' said Ashley Loftin, who helped the driver out of the truck. 'They had to cut her seatbelt off of her, and she was just saying, get me out of the truck, get me out of the truck. Because I think she was afraid it was going to blow up.'
On the scene are the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, South Carolina Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Aiken County Emergency Management, Aiken County Hazmat, Center Fire Department, and Department of Transportation.
'The fire department is on scene for fire suppression. Emergency management is working with the fire department and the hazmat team to try and control the leak. There's an off-site company coming from Columbia that is bringing a group down to try and offload the hazardous material,' said Griffin.
Interstate 20 is shut down at Exit 18 and 29. Highway 1 at East Frontage Road and Fulmer Road will all be closed for an extended period of time with detours in place.
'A code red was sent out for a one-mile radius to do a shelter-in-place just to mitigate the traffic flow around the hazardous material. As well as a couple of businesses nearby, they were evacuated,' said Griffin.
These detours are expected to last around 10 to 12 hours. If the estimate holds, the roads would remain shut down until 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Video Of NASCAR Drivers Reacting To Bubba Wallace's Win Says Everything
Video Of NASCAR Drivers Reacting To Bubba Wallace's Win Says Everything originally appeared on The Spun. Video of NASCAR drivers reacting to Bubba Wallace's win is saying everything on Sunday night. Wallace, driving the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, took home the checkered flag at the Brickyard 400 on Sunday afternoon. Wallace won the Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was his first win in a long time. The veteran NASCAR Cup Series driver last won in September of 2022. He won at the Kansas Speedway, then driving the No. 45 for 23XI Racing. Wallace had a streak of roughly 100 straight races without a win, however, he stopped that on Sunday evening in a major way. Video of NASCAR drivers reacting to Bubba Wallace's win on Sunday night said it all, too. One by one, following his win on Sunday evening, several prominent NASCAR drivers made their way up to Wallace to congratulate the 23XI Racing driver on his victory. It was a classy move by the NASCAR field, as they clearly have a lot of respect - and admiration - for Wallace as both a driver and a man. "Bro hugs all around for Bubba Wallace," NASCAR on FOX shared on X. As ESPN noted, too, Wallace made history. "Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win a major race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile oval," ESPN wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the race. "Wallace overcame a late rain delay, two overtimes and a hard-charging Kyle Larson to take the Brickyard 400." With the victory, Wallace will get a chance to compete among the sport's best, as he clinched a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Here's a full look at the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Point Totals after Sunday's race: Denny Hamlin Kyle Larson Shane Van Gisbergen Christopher Bell William Byron Ryan Blaney Austin Cindric Bubba Wallace Joey Logano Chase Briscoe The NASCAR world will get a chance to see Bubba Wallace competing among the sport's best in the postseason later this fall. Video Of NASCAR Drivers Reacting To Bubba Wallace's Win Says Everything first appeared on The Spun on Jul 28, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NASCAR Issues Official Ruling On Bubba Wallace's Win
NASCAR Issues Official Ruling On Bubba Wallace's Win originally appeared on The Spun. NASCAR issued an official ruling on Bubba Wallace's win on Sunday evening. The 23XI Racing driver took home the checkered flag at the Cup Series race in Indianapolis on Sunday evening. Wallace, driving the No. 23 Toyota, bested a highly impressive field. Kyle Larson finished as the runner up, while Denny Hamlin, Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five. Wallace, who last won in Kansas in 2022 - then driving the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing - is officially a champion on Sunday evening. NASCAR went through its official review process and declared that Wallace was the winner. Longtime NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass issued the announcement on Sunday evening. "Cup tech complete. Bubba Wallace is the winner. No issues. Buescher and Bell cars to R&D," he wrote. Congratulations have been pouring in for the prominent NASCAR Cup Series driver on Sunday evening. The veteran NASCAR Cup Series driver officially clinched a playoff spot with his victory. Wallace, who missed the Cup Series Playoffs last season, was determined to make it this year. Wallace has officially accomplished his goal on Sunday evening - and now he'll have more work to do this fall. Congrats to Wallace on his big-time win. NASCAR Issues Official Ruling On Bubba Wallace's Win first appeared on The Spun on Jul 28, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
INDYCAR Driver 'Happy to Not Get Hit' While Stuck in Blind Spot
In the closing laps of the Java House Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, INDYCAR driver Marcus Ericsson high-centered on the exit of turn six, lost control, and slid into the gravel and back onto the racing surface before stalling. He then sat there for several laps trying to get the race restarted while the course was under a local yellow in his sector. INDYCAR on Fox broadcaster James Hinchcliffe noted on the replay of Ericsson's crash that he was lucky to stop and not go further into the racing line to get collected by the full-speed traffic at the time of the incident. "So lucky to not continue going driver's left and be collected by another car," Hinchcliffe said. "That could've been much, much worse." The problem was that Ericsson was marooned, unable to start, sidelined on the asphalt as drivers continued, not seeing the No. 28 Andretti Global until they were within a few yards of it. The INDYCAR on Fox broadcast showed a portion of the course from Pato O'Ward's helmet cam, highlighting just how close the drivers were before Ericsson came into view. The full-course yellow was thrown after several laps, and the Andretti of Ericsson was brought back to the pits for a DNF with heavy damage to the floor of the race car. When Ericsson was first released from the race care center and asked if he thought the yellow was thrown late, he said he didn't know since he was too focused on getting his car going. "I don't know," Ericsson answered Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, "I was just trying to get the car started again, that was my main focus." Following the race, Ericsson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was happy to be safe following being stuck in a blind spot for multiple laps. "Happy to not get hit whilst sitting at a blind spot on the track for 3 laps..." Ericsson wrote. "Onto Portland." You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
