Joplin man dies after driving into coal mine

Bradley Smith, 28, Joplin, died Saturday in a Wyoming hospital after driving off a wall and into a 40-foot mine pit:

Smith went off Interstate 90 about one-half to three-quarters of a mile west of the coal pit. There were no marks on the road to indicate that he lost control of the vehicle. Smith then drove around on mine property for an unknown amount of time before the SUV went over the high wall.

Beyond that, the reason for the crash is “completely unknown,” Beres said. Alcohol was not involved, and investigators have no reason to suspect drugs were involved. Smith was also wearing his seat belt at the time.

“I hate to speculate (on what happened) because we’re never going to get his side of it,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Smith was in Gillette to pick up a vehicle and drive it to Texas for the owner, according to his friends in Joplin.