Patrolman Paul Winifred Smith, North Carolina Highway Patrol, North Carolina

Patrolman Paul Winifred Smith

North Carolina Highway Patrol, North Carolina

End of Watch Thursday, May 27, 1948

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Paul Winifred Smith

Patrolman Paul Smith drowned after losing control of his patrol car on Route 49A in Davidson County.

While pursuing a fleeing vehicle, the hood on his patrol vehicle opened, causing him to lose visibility. His car skidded and then struck an embankment before overturning and landing into a water-filled ditch, trapping him inside. He was taken to the hospital in Albemarle where he died the following day.

Patrolman Smith was a decorated U.S Army Air Corps veteran of WWII and served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for six months. He was survived by his wife and young daughter.

Bio

Age 26
Tour 6 months
Badge Not available
Military Veteran

Incident Details

Cause Drowned
Incident Date Wednesday, May 26, 1948

mechanical failure, single vehicle crash, vehicle pursuit

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In May 2019, Margaret Padgett, age 98, was presented with a replica shirt badge during a memorial service to honor fallen law enforcement across the state. Mrs. Padgett carried her husband Patrolman Paul W. Smith's badge in her wallet since his death 71 years prior. The wallet containing the badge was reportedly stolen from her cart during a shopping trip at the Walmart in Leland NC in April 2019. Colonel Glenn McNeill Jr. and Major Daryl Conley presented Padgett with the new badge in an attempt to offer closure while the search for the original heirloom continues. An inscription on both the original and replica badge reads ‘Paul W. Smith EOW 05-27-48’.

Anyone with information is asked to contact any NCSHP office.

AS1 Rachelle Balconi
North Carolina State Highway Patrol

March 13, 2025