A Cottage Grove high school staff member died in a single-vehicle crash early Friday in Cottage Grove, officials said.

The victim was identified by Park High School officials as Corbin Buss, 27, of Cottage Grove, school officials said.

The crash occurred shortly after 1 a.m. Friday in the 8400 block of E. Point Douglas Road, police said. Firefighters doused flames and located Buss, the driver, inside the overturned vehicle. Police said he died at the scene.

A 33-year-old passenger survived the crash and was hospitalized with noncritical injuries, according to police.

The vehicle was heading south, left the road on a curve and struck a tree. Police said they believed the driver was under the influence of alcohol and driving too fast.

Buss was an Americorps Promise Fellow at Park High, providing "support as mentor, facilitating service learning and leading extracurricular activities," said South Washington County School District spokesman Pepe Barton. "Corbin had a case load of 30 and attended and supported up to two classes a day."

In an email to Park High staffers and families, Principal Todd Herber wrote: "This is a devastating loss for our school, and our hearts go out to his family."

Buss' fiancée, Sydney Tobash, said Monday that he began working at Park, his alma mater, at the start of this school year. He is survived by their 8-month-old son.

"He would come home and tell me how he feels like he's helping these kids with their issues. ... He always said he wanted to be a therapist to help kids who were going through hard times," she said.

An online fundraising page has been set up to help Tobash with funeral expenses.