COVENTRY — James P. Madigan, 22, was killed in a car crash Sunday morning when his vehicle veered off Route 95 in East Greenwich while he was driving to work.

Madigan’s white Hyundai went off the highway just north of Exit 7, shortly after 8 a.m., down the embankment and into some trees, where it rolled over, according to state police Capt. James Swanberg.

Madigan was not wearing a seat belt and was partially thrown from the car, Swanberg said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The witness stated he just left the road,” Swanberg said yesterday.

Accident reconstruction investigators from the state police are still determining the cause of the crash. Authorities have not ruled out that a medical condition could have caused the accident.

An autopsy report is expected in a few days.

Last Friday evening, while nearly 1,500 students basked in the glow of commencement at the Community College of Rhode Island, Madigan, a member of the 2008 graduating class who earned his associate’s degree, decided not to take the traditional pomp-and-circumstance strut.

He wanted to save that pleasure for when he graduated from the University of Rhode Island, with his bachelor’s degree, something he was planning to pursue this fall, his father, Kevin Madigan, said yesterday.

It’s a commencement walk the young man won’t get to take.

Meanwhile, Madigan’s CCRI diploma is coming to the family’s Deer Run Drive home via mail, his father said.

“It should be here in eight to ten weeks. He just explained to me he was glad he walked at Coventry High School,” his father said yesterday afternoon, recalling his son’s 2004 graduation. “I was very happy he graduated. He was looking forward to graduating from URI.”

CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale issued a statement through a college spokeswoman.

“The CCRI community is saddened to learn of the untimely death of one of our Class of 2008 members. It is especially tragic that his life and dreams were cut short during what should have been a time of celebration for his achievement. We express our deepest condolences to James’ family and friends for their loss,” Di Pasquale wrote.

The family, originally from Albion, Maine, have lived in Coventry for 10 years. They included James, his father and mother Deborah, who died in 2006 of cancer, and dozens of extended family members who live in the New England area.

“[James] enjoyed cooking. He was adventurous. He and I and his mother would go out and eat and talk about food. He thought he wanted to be a chef … and he started at Johnson & Wales [University] and found out some of the pressures of being a chef and … thought he might want to be a food critic,” said Madigan’s father, who is the state’s deputy Senate finance director.

Kevin Madigan said his son, who went by “J.P.”, shifted gears a couple years ago, got admitted to CCRI’s two-year general studies program and planned on transferring to URI to study math and “perhaps teach,” he said.

James went to work every Saturday and Sunday at the Wendy’s in North Kingstown and last weekend was no different from any other.

“Everything was fine. He was up at the regular time. He wasn’t running late. He was just a happy, good kid,” Kevin Madigan said.

Kevin Madigan said his son loved pets, including his cat, Scooter, and dogs Wiley and Muffin. Other times, he would spend time with his girlfriend, or play video games.

“He enjoyed all kinds of music and gaming. He grew up on Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh [games], and moved up the ranks. He liked his Nintendo and his Wii. He was a kid of the ’80s and the ’90s,” Kevin Madigan said.

lsparks@projo.com