Senior Trooper
South Carolina Highway Patrol
Clarendon County
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
Trooper Michael Rao succumbed to injuries received two days earlier when he was struck by a pickup truck, while assisting a motorist at 0830 hours on southbound I-95 near Manning, South Carolina.
The pickup truck veered off of the road, struck his patrol car and the other vehicle before landing on Trooper Rao. Trooper Rao was flown to a local hospital where he later died of his injuries.
Trooper Rao was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for four years. He is survived by his wife, 2-year-old daughter, parents, and sister.