By Ashley McLeod, Staff Writer
Sep 21, 2015, 13:31
PRINCE GEORGE — Early in the morning on Monday, Sept. 21, tragedy struck the Virginia State Trooper family, as another officer lost his life in the line of duty.
At 7:11 a.m., the Virginia State Police responded to reports of a single-vehicle crash on Route 460 in Dinwiddie County. A pickup truck had run off the side of the road, striking a guardrail. A trooper on the scene radioed for emergency assistance. Several troopers responded to the call, including Trooper Nathan-Michael W. Smith.
While on the way to the scene of the crash, the trooper’s vehicle ran off the side of the road on Interstate 95, crashing into the line of trees. When emergency services arrived, Trooper Smith was flown to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, where he died later that morning as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.
Trooper Smith graduated from the police academy in 2014 and was a member of the 121st Basic Session assigned to the Richmond Division Area 7 office, which includes the cities of Hopewell and Petersburg, as well as Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Nottoway Counties. He was assigned to patrol Prince George County for the State Police.
Virginia State Police Trooper Jessica Sheham was another of the officers who was in route to the scene of the accident. Smith and Sheham’s families were good friends. She was the first to arrive at the scene of Smith’s accident.
“I knew it was bad before I got up there,” said Sheham. “We were both responding to the same thing. I knew how fast he was going, and I lost sight of him briefly. Then I came around the corner and I saw the car, and I crawled inside of the car to try and keep him calm until we could get everyone there.”
Sheham said before being sent in the helicopter to VCU Medical Center, Smith told her to make sure to call his wife, so she could be at the hospital with him.
Sheham described Smith, also called Smitty, or Smiley, as a hard worker, who was positive and smiling all the time. The two worked together Labor Day weekend, where Smith was the top ticket writer in the area.
“It just shows how hard of a worker he was. It was a long hard day and he stayed positive the whole time,” said Sheham.
Sheham’s husband, Senior Trooper James A. Sheham, was Smith’s field training officer following his completion at the police academy. Students at the academy are assigned post-academy field training, which typically lasts six weeks.
James Sheham described Smith has very laid back, easy to get along with and a very hard worker.
“He was up for anything. You never had to ask. You only had to say one time, ‘We need to do this,’ and he’d go ‘OK’ and make it happen,” said Sheham.
Virginia State Trooper Justin Cowan knew Trooper Smith from when he was in field training. The two of them both worked in Prince George. Cowan said that although he was devastated in learning about Smith’s passing, just knowing him is reason enough to move forward and remember his legacy.
“He cared and he was happy. He was happy to be here. And he put forth that extra effort just to make sure when he was doing a job he was fully invested in what he was doing at the time,” said Cowan. “We find peace in knowing the man that Smitty was.”
Funeral arrangements for Trooper N.M.W. Smith are as follows:
• Visitation: Friday, Sept. 25, from 5 to 8 p.m. at St. Paul’s Baptist Church, 4247 Creighton Road, Henrico.
• Funeral Service: Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m. at St. Paul’s Baptist Church, 4247 Creighton Road, Henrico.
Contributions in his name can be made to the Virginia State Police Association Emergency Relief Fund in his name.
