A wrong-way driver on Interstate 85 in Spartanburg County triggered two separate crashes early Friday morning, with two people killed in the second crash and southbound lanes shut down near Duncan for hours. The Duncan Fire Department was called out around 3:25 a.m. to handle the two collisions, which happened near mile markers 61 and 63.
South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers told WYFF News 4 that both wrecks were caused by the same wrong-way driver. Two people died in the second crash, according to troopers, while the first collision was described as minor. The station reported it reached out to South Carolina Highway Patrol, the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office, and Duncan Police for further details, though the identities of those killed have not yet been released.
Mile marker 63, where the second and fatal crash occurred, sits near the S.C. Highway 290 exit in Duncan. As of 7 a.m., southbound lanes in that stretch of I-85 remained blocked, while northbound lanes were not affected. First responders planned to remain at the scene for several hours as the investigation continued, per the same account.
A Recently Rebuilt Interchange Near the Crash Site
The Highway 290 interchange where traffic was diverted is no ordinary off-ramp. It was converted into South Carolina's third “diverging diamond” interchange, a design meant to ease heavy commuter and industrial traffic by temporarily shifting vehicles to the left side of the bridge to eliminate left-turn crossing conflicts, according to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Whether the wrong-way vehicle entered the interstate through that reconfigured interchange remains an open question for investigators.
The crashes occurred early in the morning, a detail included in the account of Friday's events.
Spartanburg County's Deadly Interstate Corridors
Spartanburg County led South Carolina in preliminary traffic fatalities in 2025 with 73 deaths, and most collisions occurred on I-85 and U.S. Highway 29 while I-26 had the highest number of fatal wrecks, according to the Post and Courier. I-85 through the county carries a high volume of traffic, with trucks making up about 35% of workweek traffic — a volume that raises the stakes of any wrong-way incursion on the freight corridor linking Atlanta and Charlotte.
Driver error can contribute to fatal collisions, while speeding and failure to yield were among factors mentioned in reporting on fatal crashes.
What Charges Could Follow
South Carolina Code § 56-5-2920 addresses reckless driving. If investigators later confirm impairment played a role, state law mandates a prison sentence of one to 25 years and fines between $10,100 and $25,100 per fatality for felony DUI resulting in death under South Carolina Code § 56-5-2945. Even absent impairment findings, wrong-way driving on a divided interstate can be charged as reckless driving under South Carolina Code § 56-5-2920, which carries fines and up to 30 days in jail for a first offense.
Friday's crashes mark the second fatal wrong-way collision to hit the Upstate in less than a week. Just three calendar days earlier, a wrong-way crash near a rest area on on I-385. It also follows other deadly crashes in the Upstate this year, underscoring how frequently the region's interstates have turned deadly.
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