Elderly woman dies after her auto hits utility pole, tree in Albany

ALBANY — An elderly woman died after being involved in a collision on North Westover Boulevard late Saturday morning, officials with the Albany Police Department said.

Phyllis Banks, spokeswoman for the APD, said that, based on witness accounts, Veda Smith, 85, was driving a 2006 Honda CRV south on Westover around 11 a.m. when her auto left the roadway and went into the grass median near the intersection with Gillionville Road. Her vehicle struck a utility pole and came to rest when it struck a tree, Banks said.

Smith, whose injuries at the scene were described as serious, was transported to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. At 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, the APD Traffic Unit confirmed she had died from her injuries.

No other vehicles were reported to have been involved in the crash.