State Highway Patrol intern, ECU student dies in patrol vehicle crash

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – State Highway Patrol is mourning the loss of an intern who was killed in a crash on Saturday, August 22.

The single-vehicle crash happened overnight around 12:53 a.m. as a state trooper was trying to overtake a suspected impaired driver on Smithtown Road, according to Highway Patrol.

SHP says the trooper lost control of his vehicle in a curve and traveled off the roadway onto the shoulder. The vehicle struck a utility pole and two large trees.

Michael Steven Higgins, 22, of Hertford, was a passenger in the patrol vehicle. He died from his injuries at the scene.