Police say heart attack led to I-295 crash that killed Smithfield man

Published 8:00 pm Thursday, January 30, 2025

Virginia State Police suspect a heart attack to have precipitated a mid-January tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 295 near Richmond  that killed a Smithfield man.

Police say troopers responded on Jan. 13 at approximately 7:14 p.m. to a reported jack-knifed tractor-trailer on I-295 in Henrico County. Upon arrival, troopers found Henrico Fire and Rescue personnel performing CPR on the driver, 51-year-old Jonathan Beale.

“Despite extensive efforts by emergency responders, the driver was unable to be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene,” police said in a news release.

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Police say their preliminary investigation suggests Beale suffered a heart attack, causing him to lose control of his vehicle. The crash remains under investigation.

Beale, according to his obituary, was a Navy veteran and an active member of the Rushmere Volunteer Fire Department who’d been named its Firefighter of the Year in 2019. He was also a Windsor Volunteer Rescue Squad member and past president.