Lorain, OH : Elyria man dies in one-car crash on Cooper-Foster Saturday afternoon, December 17, 2016

An Elyria man died at the scene of a one-car crash on Cooper Foster Park Road Saturday afternoon after the vehicle he was driving struck a tree head-on.

The driver was identified as Edward Smedley, 37 according to Lorain County Coroner Dr. Stephen Evans.

Smedley was westbound on Cooper Foster about 12:17 p.m. when his silver 2008 Mazda 3 left the north side of Cooper Foster Park Road near the intersection of Cooper Foster and Orchard Hill Boulevard at a high rate of speed, Evans said.

“He lost control of the vehicle and it went straight into a tree,” Evans said. “Speed was certainly a factor.”

Asked whether alcohol or drugs were suspected of being a contributing factor, Evans said results of toxicology tests would determine whether Smedley was under the influence.

“We do not know that yet,” Evans said.

Smedley, who had to be extricated from the car, died from blunt force trauma, Evans said.

The accident forced the closing of Cooper Foster Park Road for about four hours.

The car Smedley was driving was registered to another person, according to Evans, which led to some initial difficulty in establishing Smedley’s identification.

An ID card found on the man listed a West 13th Street address in Lorain, Evans said, but a police news release said Smedley was from Elyria.

It was not immediately known whether the Lorain address was Smedley’s current residence.

Smedley has family in the Lorain area, according to Evans.

His mother was contacted in Iowa and was to return to the area, Evans said.

Smedley was believed to have four children, Evans said.

Source :
Elyria man dies in one-car crash on Cooper-Foster