A motorist crashed her SUV into a tree north of Duluth and died, authorities said.

The wreck occurred shortly before 7 a.m. Monday in Normanna Township, roughly 15 miles north of Duluth, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office.

Kathryn Clark, 56, of Duluth, was pronounced dead at the scene, the 2800 block of E. Pioneer Road, the Sheriff's Office said.

Alcohol consumption is believed to have played a role in the crash, the Sheriff's Office noted. Also, Clark did not have on a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle, the agency said.

Clark was driving east on Pioneer Road, hit a driveway embankment and went airborne into the tree, the Sheriff's Office said.