FORT MILL, S.C.-- A witness pulled two women out of their wrecked car Monday afternoon, moments before a tanker truck loaded with gasoline caught fire and exploded, according to investigators and drivers who witnessed the crash.
The accident happened at 2:40 p.m. Monday on I-77 South near the Gold Hill Road exit.
Investigators with the South Carolina Highway Patrol said the tractor-trailer and a Plymouth sedan collided, causing the tanker to overturn and catch fire.
"You could actually still feel the explosions resonating in your chest," said Will Coltharp, a witness who was working in a field near the interstate and noticed smoke rising from the wreckage.
The truck driver, Joshua Woodrow, was pronounced dead on the scene.
The driver of the car, Deloise Clawson, 56, and her passenger, 58-year-old Rosa Caldwell, were taken to Piedmont Medical Center. They have been treated and released from the hospital.
Both women, who are from Chester, S.C., were removed from the car by another driver just before the truck caught fire, witnesses told NewsChannel 36.
Gasoline spilled into the storm drains along the expressway sparking several other fires.
A plume of smoke could be seen from Uptown Charlotte.
Southbound I-77 was closed for more than six hours as the charred debris was removed. Traffic was backed up for miles as commuters from Mecklenburg tried to make their way home to York and Chester counties during rush hour.
Two southbound lanes reopened at around 9:30 p.m. Monday. The two left lanes, badly scorched by the fire, remained blocked late Monday as crews planned repairs.
