Charlotte woman charged with DUI in I-77 York County wrong way crash after man killed
A Charlotte woman is charged with DUI causing death after a man was killed in a wrong-way crash on I-77 in South Carolina, according to police and court records.
Nicole Claire Tanner, 26, was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony DUI resulting in death after the collision Tuesday night in York County, according to York County jail records and Master Trooper Gary Miller of the S.C. Highway Patrol. She also is charged with open container of alcohol in a moving vehicle.
The driver who died is Ajibril Crawford Blake, 32, of Charlotte, York County Coroner Sabrina Gast said Wednesday afternoon. Blake, formerly of Rock Hill, died at the scene, Gast said.
The collision happened around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday on I-77 northbound near mile marker 84 between Rock Hill and Fort Mill, according to Miller and highway patrol Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway.
An SUV driven by Tanner was heading in the wrong direction on I-77 when it struck the Jeep driven by Blake that was headed north, troopers said.
Tanner remains in the York County jail pending an initial court appearance, sheriff’s office and court records show.
A conviction for felony DUI with death carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, South Carolina law states.
Road closed for hours
All four lanes of I-77 northbound were closed for more than five hours as the wreck was investigated, officials said.
Traffic was detoured from I-77 onto Sutton Road to U.S. 21 then S.C. 160, where drivers were then allowed back onto northbound I-77.
Northbound I-77 re-opened shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to the S.C. Department of Transportation.
DOT cameras from I-77 showed normal traffic patterns later Wednesday during the commute from York County north toward Charlotte.
The crash remains under investigation by the S.C. Department of Public Safety Multi-Agency Accident Investigation Team and the coroner’s office.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 8:38 AM.
