One person killed in crash at busy intersection in Lexington County, SC cops say
One person was killed early Tuesday morning in a crash at a busy intersection in Lexington County, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Russell Keith Coufal, a 73-year-old Lexington resident, is the person who died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident.
The collision happened at about 6:45 a.m., said Master Trooper William Bennett.
A Chevrolet Tahoe was driving west on Platt Springs Road, according to Bennett. Near the intersection with South Lake Drive the Chevy SUV collided with a pedestrian who was in the road, Bennett said.
Coufal, who was walking in the road, died at the scene, according to Bennett.
Neither the SUV driver nor a passenger in the Chevy were hurt, Bennett said. They remained on scene, according to Fisher.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the SUV occupants were wearing seatbelts, but the wreck is being investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Sunday, 14 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2026, according to the state Department of Public Safety. A minimum of 914 people were killed in collisions in South Carolina in 2025, DPS data shows.
This was the new year’s first deadly crash reported in Lexington County, where at least 40 people died in crashes in 2025, according to DPS data.
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This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 1:06 PM.
