A 74-year-old man from Mars Hill, North Carolina, died Sunday morning after a truck crossed into oncoming traffic near an interstate exit in Spartanburg County, striking another truck and an SUV. David McElroy was pronounced dead at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center shortly before 9 a.m., following a crash that also sent two other people to the hospital.
According to WYFF4, the crash happened at the intersection of Gossett Road and I-85 at 8:02 a.m. Sunday. A truck was turning onto Gossett Road from the exit ramp when it crossed into the northbound lane, striking another truck and an SUV, the station reported. McElroy was pronounced dead after being transported to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center at 8:56 a.m., per the coroner's office.
The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office identified McElroy as the man who died, according to FOX Carolina News, which reported his identity and hometown Sunday. A forensic exam for McElroy has been scheduled for Monday, the coroner's office said.
Pickup Driver Crossed the Median, Hospital-Bound Victims Named
A separate account from WSPA described the pickup truck driver crossing the median after exiting Interstate 85, then hitting an SUV and another truck that was towing a trailer. That report said McElroy was the pickup's driver and, along with the SUV driver, was taken by EMS to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. One person died and two others were hospitalized as a result of the crash, the station noted.
The crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the coroner's office, the same report said. No additional details about the condition of the two hospitalized victims or the cause of the crash have been released.
Another Deadly Wrong-Lane Crash Occurred on I-85 in Spartanburg County
A previous wrong-way crash on I-85 killed two people, the South Carolina Highway Patrol reported, as detailed by WYFF4 in its coverage of that incident. The Duncan Fire Department was called at about 3:25 a.m. for two separate crashes at mile markers 61 and 63, and the fatal wreck involved a 2015 Hyundai traveling north in the southbound lanes, striking a 2023 Hyundai. Both drivers, identified as Anthony Joseph Astorini of Moore and Maurice Levernon Mitchell of Greer, died at the scene, and lanes in the area were blocked until 8 a.m.
Statewide fatal-collision figures compiled by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety remain preliminary, based on data as of late in the evening on October 11. No updated county-level totals tied to Sunday's crash have been released.
Investigators have not disclosed the results of the forensic exam scheduled for McElroy. The South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office continue to investigate.
