Fatality near Milepost 53 along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway dispatchers received a report of a single-vehicle accident near Milepost 53 on the Blue Ridge Parkway on July 26 at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Rangers and local rescue personnel arrived on scene to find the vehicle off of the roadway and lodged against a tree. The front seated passenger of the vehicle was able to exit with only minor injuries.

The driver of the vehicle, Lance Corporal Adam Hooper, age 21, of Forest, Va., was pronounced dead at the scene.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Hooper was traveling northbound when he lost control of his vehicle and it left the roadway. No additional details are available at this time.