Paul Winifred Smith

North Carolina Highway Patrol — Raleigh, NC

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch May 27, 1948

Age 26

Tour of Duty 6 mo

The Vigil Panel 84 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 68

Incident

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.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and young daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NC-0F46AA54
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Smith served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
Thank you for your service to the people of North Carolina, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department North Carolina Highway Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Raleigh, NC

Platform Identity nchp.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 27, 1948

Tour of Duty 6 mo

Age 26

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Paul Winifred Smith served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Paul Winifred Smith is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In NC, 205 of 664 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.9% of this state's fallen. That is 30.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At North Carolina Highway Patrol, 41 of 69 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 59.4% of this agency's fallen.

North Carolina Highway Patrol

of 69 officers

59.4% Accident

NC — Statewide

205

of 664 officers

30.9% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident