Petara Cordero, the girlfriend of Browns defensive end Chris Smith, was struck and killed by a car this morning after the two of them had been in a minor accident.
Smith was driving and Cordero was his passenger when a tire malfunction caused his car to spin out and hit a median. Neither Smith nor Cordero was injured, but when Cordero got out of the car, she was hit by a passing vehicle and killed.
“Words cannot describe the sorrow we feel for Chris following the loss of his girlfriend, Petara,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “Our entire organization mourns with Chris, his family and the Cordero family. We will do everything possible to offer them our support, comfort and any resources in this most difficult time.”
Police say Smith was not impaired, but the driver of the car that hit Cordero admitted she had been drinking and toxicology tests on her are pending.
Smith and Cordero have a baby daughter who was born last month.
