Raleigh man dies after his Cadillac crashes into north Raleigh lake

First responders pulled the driver, identified as Robert Sparks, out of the water and performed CPR on him for about 30 minutes after they arrived at New Hope Church Road and Deana Lane in Raleigh shortly after 10 a.m.

Sparks was taken to a local hospital for treatment, where he was pronounced dead.

When paramedics arrived at the scene, they found Sparks' black 2016 Cadillac CTS partially underwater and had to perform a water rescue to extricate him from the wreckage.

Witnesses told WRAL News that the driver was speeding down New Hope Church Road when he lost control of the Cadillac, jumped a curb, raced through the parking lot and landed in the pond.

"As the car was going, it started swerving," said Patrick Wilkins. "Next thing I know, he hit the water."

Authorities said the driver suffered a medical emergency before he struck a curb and a concrete barrier, causing the car to go airborne and land upside down in the water.

Wilkins and his friends say they were on the sidewalk and were nearly struck by the luxury car.

Residents who live in the area say the intersection has been the scene of many accidents. They say speed and bad design are to blame.

City officials said 14 crashes have been logged at the intersection over the past five years.

Raleigh city officials have launched a $5.4 million widening project to expand New Hope Church Road at the scene of Thursday's crash.

The plan calls for widening the road from Ingram Drive to Deana Lane and adding bike lanes, sidewalks on both sides of the street and landscaping.

The city estimates the work will be complete by the fall of 2020.

Some residents said the upgrade can't come too soon.

Neighbors said tire marks on a stretch of grass were from another vehicle that ran off the road a few weeks ago.

Another resident said the state erected a guard rail about a year and a half ago, and it has been struck multiple times.