Aiken County, SC (August 11, 2026) – A passenger was killed early Monday morning, August 10, in a four-vehicle collision on I-20 westbound at mile marker 30. It happened around 5:30 a.m., according to troopers.
A Honda Civic and a Ford F-250, both traveling west, collided first, leaving the Civic disabled in the roadway, troopers said. A Dodge Ram pickup then struck the Civic, followed by a Lincoln Navigator.
A passenger in the Navigator, 46-year-old Clarice McNeil of Lexington, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene at 6:41 a.m., according to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office.
Other passengers in the Navigator and the driver of the Civic were taken to a hospital for treatment. An autopsy is scheduled in Newberry.
The cause of the wreck remains under investigation. Our condolences go out to McNeil’s family and loved ones, and we hope for a full recovery for everyone else who was hurt.
Why Are Chain-Reaction Highway Crashes So Dangerous?
Chain-reaction accidents involving four or more vehicles start with a single, relatively minor event that leaves a disabled car blocking part of the roadway. Drivers approaching in the dark, especially in the early morning hours, may not have enough time to notice a stopped vehicle and react before striking it themselves.
Ejection from a vehicle remains one of the most dangerous outcomes in any serious impact, since a seatbelt is specifically designed to keep an occupant inside the vehicle’s protective structure during a sudden stop or sudden change in direction. Being thrown from a vehicle removes that protection entirely and exposes a person to the roadway itself, other vehicles, or the ground.
Multi-vehicle pileups on interstates can take hours to fully clear, since each vehicle’s position needs to be documented before anything is moved. Autopsies in South Carolina are performed at a central state facility, which can add time before a family receives final answers about a loved one’s cause of death.
