Man dies after crashing car into tree

A man in his 50s died Friday after veering off a busy road in his car, driving into a yard and smashing into a tree a northwest Spokane neighborhood. The man, who was not identified, was northbound on Maple Street about 4 p.m., when his white sedan left the roadway to the left, between Longfellow and Heroy avenues, said Spokane Police Officer Brian Eckersley. The car drove onto the sidewalk and through a yard before striking a tree. The man was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Eckersley said. It is unclear why the man left the roadway, or whether a previous medical condition contributed to the crash or his death, officials said.