Lexington man killed in head-on crash that left another hurt ID’d by SC coroner
One person was killed and another was injured Saturday in a crash in Lexington County, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Michael Leon Rather, a 62-year-old Lexington resident, is the person who died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 12:55 p.m., said Master Trooper William Bennett.
Rather was driving a 2026 Cadillac sedan east on Muddy Springs Road in Lexington, according to Bennett. At the intersection with Bledsoe Drive the car was involved in a head-on crash with a 2013 Dodge Ram pickup truck that was driving west Muddy Springs Road, Bennett said. That’s in the area between I-20 and South Lake Drive.
After colliding with the Cadillac, the Dodge pickup ran off the right side of the road where it crashed into a tree, according to Bennett.
Both drivers, who were the only people in their respective vehicles, were taken to Lexington Medical Center, where Rather was pronounced dead, Bennett said.
Further information about the Dodge pickup driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
Fisher said Rather was wearing a seatbelt, but there was no word if the other driver was wearing a seatbelt.
Information about what caused the vehicles to collide was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Dec. 14, at least 847 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 36 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 50 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published December 21, 2025 at 9:39 AM.
