King 'Stunned' Over Driver's Death

September 25, 2000 -- Horror writer Stephen King has already written up his life-threatening car accident last year for his new book, but the master of suspense couldn't have predicted the final chapter of the story.

On Friday, Bryan Smith — who hit King with his van last June — was found dead in his home in the small town of Fryeburg, Maine.

Today, King said that he was "stunned and sorry" to hear of Smith's death. "I would wish better for anyone," USA Today reports King as telling police. In a statement, the author said, "The death of a 43-year-old man can only be termed untimely."

The cause of Smith's death was not immediately apparent and a routine autopsy was scheduled. Authorities said they did not suspect foul play.

While Smith, a former construction worker, had many previous driving infractions, it's not as widely known that he was disabled and struggled with depression, according to the Bangor Daily News. The Maine man was on a variety of medications, including Valium and Prozac, at the time of his death, police officials say.

Today's News described the scene in which Smith's body was found. The deceased man's brother, who is a police officer, grew concerned when he hadn't heard from his brother in three days. Police officers went to Smith's trailer, which they found locked, with Smith's two Rottweilers, Pistol and Bullet, barking inside. Once they forced open the door, they found Smith lying in his bed.

Capt. James Miclon told the paper, "There he was, on his back in bed, covered up. He was just laying there, like he went to sleep."

Incidentally, it was one of Smith's dogs that allegedly caused the June 1999 accident; he claimed that he lost control of his van while trying to corral the dog.

After the accident and the subsequent trial, the two Maine residents sounded off in local papers, with King saying that Smith's light sentence, which involved no jail time, was too lenient, while Smith claimed that he was being unfairly persecuted since he'd had the bad luck to injure a local celebrity.

"What he took from me, my time, my peace of mind, and my ease of body, are simply gone and no court can bring them back," King said in January.

Last September, Smith told the News, "They don't look at my handicap. They don't care if I breathe tomorrow or die the next day."

A graveside service for Smith has been set for Tuesday.

"Our lives came together in a strange way. I'm grateful I didn't die. I'm sorry he's gone," King told USA Today. He details the accident that nearly killed him in his new book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, due out Oct. 2.

Reuters contributed to this story.