SC man killed in head-on crash that injured Lexington trucker identified by coroner

The driver of a Ford pickup truck died after colliding head first with a tractor trailer on a Midlands road Friday evening.

Robert Butler, a 68-year-old Cross Hill resident, was the driver who died, Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece said Monday.

The crash took place around 8:40 p.m. in Newberry County, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

A 2018 Ford pickup was driving north on S.C. 39 near Brannon Road, one mile outside of Chappells, when it crossed the center line of the state highway and collided “head on” with the Freightliner semi truck, said Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the Highway Patrol.

Butler was taken to Newberry County Memorial Hospital where he died, according to Ridgeway.

Butler was wearing a seat belt, according to Kneece.

The driver of the semi truck, a 40-year-old Lexington resident, was injured in the crash and was also taken by EMS to Newberry County Memorial Hospital. Further information on the tractor trailer driver’s condition was not available.

There was no word if the tractor trailer driver was wearing a seat belt.

No other injuries were reported.

Information about what caused the crash was not available, but it continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.

Through Dec. 4, at least 971 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,194 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 10 people have died in Newberry County crashes in 2022, DPS reported. Last year, 18 deaths were reported in the county, according to DPS data.

This story was originally published December 10, 2022 at 12:00 PM.

Ted Clifford

The State

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Ted Clifford is the statewide accountability reporter at The State Newspaper. Formerly the crime and courts reporter, he has covered the Murdaugh saga, state and federal court, as well as criminal justice and public safety in the Midlands and across South Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 award for best beat reporting by the South Carolina Press Association.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription