A truck carrying a load of rocks overturned on Highway 22 in Horry County, South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon and spilled its cargo across the eastbound lanes. The South Carolina Highway Patrol said crews were working to clear the rocks from the roadway. The eastbound stretch between U.S. 701 and S.C. 905 was briefly closed as the cleanup got underway.
According to WMBF News and South Carolina Highway Patrol Master Trooper Joseph Rowell, the call came in around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9. The truck had flipped over while carrying rocks east on Highway 22. The rocks went out across the roadway.
The Highway Patrol asked drivers to avoid the area and to use an alternate route while crews worked. The agency did not immediately report any injuries. The agency also did not initially identify what type of truck was involved or what had caused it to overturn.
Highway 22 is one of the main east to west routes in Horry County, connecting the Conway area to the Grand Strand. The Highway Patrol said the eastbound closure was expected to be brief and estimated that it would last about an hour.
What South Carolina Highway Patrol Says Happened
According to South Carolina Highway Patrol Master Trooper Joseph Rowell, the eastbound truck carrying rocks flipped over on Highway 22 in Horry County around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. That’s the exact moment it scattered all of its cargo across the highway. Rocks aren’t exactly light, so the roads had to be closed down to not damage other vehicles.
The agency closed Highway 22 eastbound between U.S. 701 and S.C. 905 for roughly an hour to allow crews to clear the rocks from the highway. The Highway Patrol didn’t immediately disclose what kind of truck was involved or whether anyone was injured in the crash.
What Drivers Were Asked to Do
The South Carolina Highway Patrol asked drivers to avoid the area and to use an alternate route as cleaning crews worked to clear the scene. WMBF News did not immediately report whether any other vehicles were involved in the crash. The cause of the crash was not immediately released.
The same section opened back up later in the day after the South Carolina Department of Highways worked to clean up the spill. While it was only an inconvenience for a short time, spilling rocks all over the highway obviously isn’t something most drivers end up doing every day. If you’re traveling behind a truck or other vehicle and you see rocks or other heavy cargo start to scatter, it’s a good idea to get off of the road as soon as possible, lest your vehicle sustain damage or run into it.