NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. – A 24-year-old Cranston man was killed in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on Route 4 in North Kingstown in the predawn hours of Friday, according to Rhode Island State Police.

The victim has been identified as Parker Smith.

State Police said that at approximately 2:45 a.m., troopers from the Wickford Barracks responded to reports of a crash on Route 4 northbound, just north of the Route 102 exit on the Stony Lane overpass.

The preliminary investigation indicates that Smith was operating a motorcycle when he lost control and struck a jersey barrier. The impact of the collision threw him from the bike.

Emergency crews from the North Kingstown Fire Department transported Smith to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by troopers from the Wickford Barracks and the Rhode Island State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit. They were assisted at the scene by North Kingstown Police and East Greenwich Police.

Traffic on Route 4 was affected for several hours as investigators worked at the scene. All lanes have since been reopened.