Head-on crash leaves one driver dead and another hospitalized, SC cops say

One driver was killed Monday and another was hospitalized following a head-on crash, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

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The two-vehicle collision happened at about 2:30 p.m. in Sumter County, said Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway.

A 2019 Hyundai SUV was driving north on Cane Savannah Road, while a 2017 Ford SUV was heading south, according to Ridgeway. Near the intersection with St Pauls Church Road the Ford crossed left of the centerline and hit the Hyundai head-on, Ridgeway said.

The Hyundai driver died at the scene, according to Ridgeway.

The Sumter County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the Hyundai driver.

The Ford driver was hurt and taken to an area hospital, Ridgeway said. Further information on the Ford driver’s condition was not available.

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No other injuries were reported.

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

Information about what caused the Ford to veer into oncoming traffic was not available, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sunday, 430 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.

At least 12 people have died in Sumter County crashes this year, and 25 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.