A car sped unabated into a train trestle on a rural road in Cottage Grove, killing the vehicle's lone occupant, authorities said Friday.

The crash occurred shortly before 11:30 p.m. Thursday on westbound 103rd Street, just east of the Mississippi Dunes Golf Links, police said.

Jonathon R. Cox, 35, of Cottage Grove, was dead at the scene, about a mile south of his home, according to police Capt. Peter Koerner.

Cox drove "right into the cement pillar" and struck it with "huge force," Koerner said.

The car was traveling on the slight downhill at excessive speeds and there were no brake marks apparent on the two-lane road, the captain added.

"The car wasn't even recognizable," Koerner said. "He did not try to stop when he hit that pillar."

Koerner said there were no witnesses to the crash on the lightly traveled road, making it more difficult to determine why the car struck the pillar. People who heard the impact notified police of the wreck, he said.

The tracks on the bridge running over the road are owned by BNSF Railway. Rail spokeswoman Amy McBeth said that a crew inspected the structure and found no damage.

PAUL WALSH