Four motorcycle riders killed in crashes in as many days on Midlands roads, SC cops say
A motorcycle rider was killed Tuesday in a crash with a car, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
It was the fourth deadly wreck on a Midlands road involving a motorcycle in as many days.
The most recent collision happened Tuesday at about 3 p.m., at the intersection of South Lake Drive and Knoll Station Drive, said Master Trooper William Bennett of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s in the Red Bank area of Lexington County.
Nathan Scott Ash, a 20-year-old Pelion resident, was the motorcycle rider who died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident on Wednesday.
A 1999 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a 2016 Honda SUV were involved in the crash, according to Bennett.
“Based on information from the scene, the motorcycle driver was driving recklessly when a deputy saw them and began the process to pull them over,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a news release. “The deputy was trying to catch up with the motorcycle when the driver continued through the intersection at South Lake and Knoll Station Drive and collided with another car.”
The motorcycle was driving east on South Lake Drive when it collided with the westbound SUV, according to Bennett.
The deputy who was in pursuit reported the crash and responded to the wreck, the sheriff’s department said.
The Harley-Davidson driver, who was the only person riding the motorcycle, was taken by EMS to an area hospital and later died, according to Bennett. Ash was not wearing a helmet, Fisher said.
Bennett said the SUV driver, who was the only person in the Honda, was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the SUV driver was wearing a seat belt.
The Highway Patrol will lead the investigation into the crash that’s also being investigated by the coroner’s office. Anyone who witnessed the wreck should contact the Highway Patrol at *47.
Following the crash, drivers had to deal with traffic delays as the intersection was temporarily blocked, the sheriff’s department said.
Through Sunday, 52 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least two people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 50 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
Other deadly motorcycle crashes
Two other recent crashes where motorcycle riders died happened in Richland County, the Highway Patrol said.
At about 6:20 p.m. Sunday, both a 2007 Mule motorcycle and a 2023 BMW SUV were driving east on U.S. 176/Broad River Road, according to the Highway Patrol. Near the intersection with Greystone Boulevard the vehicles crashed and the person driving the motorcycle died, the Highway Patrol said.
There was a passenger on the motorcycle who was injured and taken to an area hospital, while two people in the SUV were not hurt, according to the Highway Patrol. Further information on the motorcycle passenger’s condition was not available.
Earlier Sunday, at about 3:10 p.m., a 2018 Ford sedan was driving west on Garners Ferry Road and as the car turned left onto South Carolina Road it was hit by a 2011 Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was heading east, according to the Highway Patrol. The motorcycle rider died in the collision near the entrance of McEntire Joint National Guard Base.
There was also another fatal motorcycle crash in the Midlands Saturday afternoon.
A 49-year-old Lee County resident was killed when the 1998 Harley-Davidson motorcycle she was driving south on Lucknow Road collided with a 2024 Kia SUV that was heading north and was turning left onto Frost Road, according to the Highway Patrol. That’s in Kershaw County.
The woman riding the motorcycle died at the scene, while both the driver and a passenger in the SUV were injured and taken to an area hospital, the Highway Patrol said. Further information on their conditions was not available.
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This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 8:02 AM with the headline "Four motorcycle riders killed in crashes in as many days on Midlands roads, SC cops say."
