— A Raleigh surgeon has died after his Porsche, traveling at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour, crashed into a tree near Wade Avenue and Interstate 40 during the height of Thursday evening rush hour.

Matthew Jared Strouch was rushed for medical care to WakeMed, where he died, police said in a written statement Friday.

The accident prompted police to close Wade Avenue for an extended period while they worked to investigate the crash and clear the debris.

The incident, which occurred about 3 p.m., resulted in lengthy delays for rush hour commuters, many of whom were scrambling for alternative routes to avoid the traffic gridlock.

Strouch was a doctor at UNC Rex Healthcare and was medical director of the Colorectal Division of North Carolina Surgery, said a spokesman for the hospital system. He started working at UNC Rex in 2012, according to hospital officials.

"Our UNC Rex Healthcare family is devastated by the death of Dr. Matthew Strouch, a highly regarded and compassionate colorectal surgeon," the spokesman said. "Our condolences go out to his wife and children, his patients and his co-workers."

His wife Zaneta Strouch said her husband played important roles to many people.

"He was an amazing person, and he was the best father and husband," she said.

According to the police report that was released Friday, Strouch's 2016 Porsche was traveling nearly 150 miles per hour as his car was attempting to exit Wade Avenue onto Interstate 40 East on a right curve of the ramp. The posted speed limit on that stretch of the road is 60 miles per hour, according to the police report.

He lost control of the car and crashed into a tree, which split the vehicle in several pieces.

Aerial video of the scene from Sky5 showed that the sports car had split into multiple pieces along the road. The engine ended up several feet away from the rest of the luxury car. Another piece of the vehicle was seen against a tree.

His wife wonders if something went wrong, either a medical or mechanical emergency, that caused the car to reach such speeds. She said Strouch was not one to take risks.

"He would never put himself in danger or anyone else," she said. "He would never do anything reckless. He was always in control of everything."