A South Carolina man died in a Midlands hospital days after being involved in a crash that wounded another person, authorities said.
Joseph T. Ray, a 35-year-old Saluda resident, died at Lexington Medical Center on November 15, three days after the accident, according to Saluda County Coroner Keith Turner.
According to Master Trooper William Bennett of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the two-vehicle collision occurred at approximately 5:45 a.m. on November 12 near the intersection of U.S. 178/Batesburg Highway and Duncan Road. That is in the Batesburg-Leesville area, near W.W. King Academy.
Ray was driving a 2005 Chevrolet pickup truck north on Duncan Road when it collided with a 2010 Jeep headed east on US 178, according to Bennett. Both vehicles then veered off the left side of the road, with the Chevy colliding with a ditch and the Jeep flipping over, Bennett said.
Ray was transferred to Lexington Medical Center and died the morning of November 15, according to Turner. According to Bennett, Ray was the only one in the Chevrolet pickup.
Bennett said the Jeep driver, the only person in the car, was brought to the hospital. More information about the Jeep driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no information on whether either driver was wearing a seat belt.
The cause of the collision was unknown.
According to the state Department of Public Safety, at least 837 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2024 as of November 10. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, 1,030 persons were killed in collisions last year.
DPS data show that at least six persons died in Saluda County collisions in 2024.
