A Washington man is dead after his car ran off the road due to speed and unsafe tires, according to Highway Patrol.

Tuesday morning around 9:46 a.m., Joseph Coty Brinkley, 28, of Washington, was driving a 1999 Ford Escort on Mill Road just off U.S. Highway 17 North, according to Trooper Joseph P. Howard, with the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

According to Howard, who handled the investigation with Trooper C.J. Clark, Brinkley lost control after the vehicle’s passenger side tires ran off the road. Brinkley apparently over-corrected, as the car traveled back onto the road and crossed the centerline. Brinkley tried to regain control as his vehicle ran off the road to the left, striking a water-filled ditch and a tree.

Washington Fire and EMS, as well as Old Ford Fire and EMS, responded to the scene of the accident.

Brinkley was pronounced dead at the scene due to his injuries, though he was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, according to Howard. Rescuers had to cut the roof off of the vehicle to get to Brinkley, who was the only person inside the vehicle.

Howard said the accident was not a matter of distracted driving. Rather, a speed of 63 mph and unsafe tires were a factor in the wreck, he said.