Petersburg man killed in crash

A Petersburg man died yesterday afternoon after his pickup truck crashed into a tree in Dinwiddie County, Virginia State Police said.

Nelson E. Morton, 82, of the 5000 block of Sterling Road, was driving north on U.S. 1 about a mile and a half north of state Route 613 when he veered off the road to the left and hit a tree shortly after 12:30 p.m., Sgt. Thomas Molnar said.

There was no indication yet why Morton ran off the road, though alcohol was not a factor, Molnar said. Morton was not wearing a seat belt and died at the scene, according to police. The crash remains under investigation.

The death brings the number of people killed on state highways this year to 633, compared with 709 at this time last year.