One driver killed and another hurt after head-on crash in Richland County, cops say

One person was killed and another was hospitalized Saturday after a head-on crash on a Richland County road, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 10:30 a.m. near the intersection of Longtown Road and Plantation Parkway, said Master Trooper Gary Miller. That’s in the Blythewood area, between Interstate 77 and Hard Scrabble Road.

A 2002 Mercedes-Benz sedan was driving west on Longtown Road when it collided with an eastbound 2005 Toyota SUV, according to Miller.

The Mercedes-Benz driver died, Miller said.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the Mercedes-Benz driver.

The person driving the Toyota was injured and taken to an area hospital, according to Miller. Further information on that driver’s condition was not available.

Miller said the drivers were the only occupants in the vehicles, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if either of the drivers were wearing seat belts.

Information about what caused the crash was not available, but it remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.

Through Jan. 23, at least 45 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,075 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

This was at least the fifth deadly crash in Richland County in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 67 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.

It was the second fatal collision in Richland County Saturday.

This story was originally published January 29, 2023 at 9:00 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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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