A recreational vehicle towing a passenger car veered off Interstate 77 northbound and came to rest in the woods near mile marker 64 in Chester County, causing a backup that stretched more than four miles for northbound drivers headed toward Rock Hill and Charlotte, according to reporting published May 5 by a local news outlet.
The crash occurred in the early morning hours, with aerial footage from a television news helicopter showing the RV and attached car off the roadway in the tree line. Both northbound lanes were initially blocked following the crash. One lane was subsequently reopened while emergency crews continued to work the scene.
Impact on Rock Hill-Area Commuters
The location near mile marker 64 places the incident south of the Rock Hill exits on I-77, meaning traffic backed up through the Chester-York County corridor. Northbound drivers traveling from Chester toward Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and the Charlotte metro area encountered slowdowns as the backup extended well past the crash site.
Interstate 77 is the primary corridor linking Rock Hill to Charlotte, and incidents in the Chester County stretch regularly affect morning and evening commutes for Rock Hill residents and businesses. The highway carries substantial freight and passenger traffic through York County daily.
Safety Notes for I-77 Travelers
The South Carolina Department of Transportation and South Carolina Highway Patrol urge motorists to maintain safe following distances when sharing the road with large recreational vehicles towing additional vehicles. The combination of an RV and a towed car creates an extended vehicle length that can be difficult to manage in emergency braking or evasive maneuver situations.
SCDOT maintains real-time traffic information at scdot.org, where commuters can check I-77 conditions before travel. SCHP also posts major crash information through its public channels. Drivers encountering slowdowns on I-77 through Chester County can use U.S. 321 as an alternate route to reach Rock Hill from the south, though it adds significant travel time.
York County’s emergency management and SCDOT coordinate with SCHP on incident response along the I-77 corridor to restore traffic flow as quickly as possible following crashes.