A vehicle pursuit involving a Virginia State Police trooper resulted in a 48-year-old New Canton man being killed after crashing his truck.

The fatal crash was reported Monday night on Slate Hill Road, state route 610, in Buckingham, according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

Alcohol was a factor in the crash that killed Robert W. Smith, who died at the scene, she said.

“At approximately 8:30 p.m., a Virginia State Police Trooper observed a 2004 Toyota Tacoma driving recklessly in the lanes of (U.S.) Route 15. The trooper activated his emergency lights in order to initiate a traffic stop on the pickup truck. The Tacoma refused to stop and sped away at a high rate of speed,” Geller said.

She said the pickup turned onto route 610, “pulled into the driver’s residence and then continued driving through the yard and into the woods. The pickup eventually got back onto route 610 heading west at approximately 85 mph, when the driver lost control. The pickup ran off the left side of route 610 and overturned.”

Geller said the trooper responded to the crashed vehicle and rendered aid to the driver until rescue arrived on scene. “Despite their rescue attempts, the driver … died at the scene.”

“The incident remains under investigation. Alcohol was a factor in the incident and crash,” she said.