Medical event may have caused fatal crash, police say

A 79-year-old driver may have experienced a medical event when she crashed in Smithtown woods Thursday and died, Suffolk police said.

Patricia Schmidt was in her 2001 Honda Accord, turning right from a shopping center parking lot on West Main Street, when her car veered off the westbound roadway, down an embankment and into trees about 1:25 p.m., Suffolk police said.

Schmidt, of Elayne Court in Smithtown, was taken to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, where she was pronounced dead, authorities said.

The Honda will undergo a safety check, police said.

Fourth Precinct detectives ask anyone with information on the crash to call them at 631-854-8452.