Lexington man killed when SUV crashes into utility pole & tree, SC coroner says
A Lexington man was killed Monday when the SUV he was driving crashed into multiple objects, according to South Carolina officials.
Christopher Areheart, 70, is the person who died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 8:25 a.m., said Master Trooper William Bennett of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Areheart was driving a 2000 Chevrolet SUV north on Nazareth Road, according to Bennett. Near the intersection with Robert Hendrix Road the Chevy ran off the left side of the Nazareth Road where it hit a utility pole before crashing into a tree, Bennett said. That’s in the Red Bank area of Lexington County, between Interstate 20 and South Lake Drive.
Areheart, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene, according to Fisher.
Bennett said that Areheart was the only person in the Chevy, and no other injuries were reported.
Information about what caused the Chevy to veer off the road was not available, but Fisher said the crash continues to be investigated by her office and the Highway Patrol.
Through Sunday, 234 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 11 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 April 23, 2025 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Lexington man killed when SUV crashes into utility pole & tree, SC coroner says."
