A 24-year-old Smithfield man is dead after crashing his car into a retaining wall at the city’s cemetery Sunday morning.
Parker Bradford was driving north on 300 East near the cemetery about 7:15 a.m. when he came to a stretch where the road curves to the west at 100 South, according to Smithfield police Sgt. Gary Bunce. Instead of following the curve west, Bradford’s car struck the cement retaining wall that borders the cemetery.
The person who called to report the crash told dispatchers the driver was hurt, a news release from police says, and medical personnel declared Bradford — the sole occupant of the car — dead at the scene.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, police said. They are waiting for the medical examiner’s report to determine Bradford’s exact cause of death.