Calgary police were called to the scene of an early morning crash in the northwest community of Beddington Heights that killed the 19-year-old driver.
They say the crash occurred at about 3:30 a.m. when a vehicle, northbound on 14 St. near Berkley Gate N.W., lost control, hit a curb, and struck a tree.
The driver, a 19-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Traffic Units say that the impact was so hard that the woman was thrown from her seat in the front into the back of the car.
"It's catastrophic. The driver was literally moved from the left front driver's compartment into the right rear of the vehicle," says Sgt. Mike ter Kuile. "She was belted in the vehicle at the time, but that didn't make a difference in a case like this. The steering wheel was all the way moved over to the right hand passenger side of the vehicle past the point of the door. The vehicle is literally bent in two."
Sgt. Kuile also says that the tree that the car slammed into was completely stripped of bark. "It moved the entire length of the tree. It literally bent around the tree."
This is second fatal crash in Calgary this week.
A crash on Tuesday morning, involving a street sweeper, claimed the life of a 29-year-old man.
In that case, police ruled out alcohol, but gave strong consideration to excessive speed as being a chief cause of the crash.
The Traffic Unit is now investigating what caused this new crash on Wednesday morning.
Police say speed appears to be a major contributor in the crash and they are looking into whether alcohol also played a part.
Police had to block off 14 St. at 64 Ave. N.W. for several hours for the investigation.
Anyone who saw the crash or the events leading up to it is asked to call the CPS Traffic Section at 403-567-4000 or Crime Stoppers.
(With files from Stephanie Brennan)
