SMITHFIELD, Va. – A police pursuit ended in a fatal crash on Monday, according to the Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office.
The pursuit ended in a crash when the vehicle collided with a tractor trailer on Route 10 near the Fairfield Drive overpass.
Deputies said the driver of the suspect vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office said after a deputy attempted a traffic stop on Benns Church Blvd., around 7:45 p.m. the driver failed to yield and sped off from the scene.
The driver of the suspect vehicle turned his lights off in attempts to elude the deputy.
Virginia State Police said the driver of a Ford Explorer was traveling at a high rate of speed when he entered the westbound lanes of Route 10, lost control of the vehicle, crossed over into the eastbound lanes and struck a 2016 Freight-liner tractor trailer head on. The force of the impact caused the SUV to be fully engulfed by fire.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured in the crash, VSP said.
