A van driver veered off a northwestern Wisconsin highway early Sunday while speeding, crashed and was killed, authorities said.

The wreck, which occurred about 3:40 a.m. on the western edge of Turtle Lake, also left a passenger seriously injured, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

According to the Sheriff's Office:

The van was heading north "at a high rate of speed" on Hwy. 63 near Hwy. 8, went through the stop sign and crashed into a line of trees.

The passenger called 911 and said the driver was trapped and not breathing.

Emergency responders declared the motorist dead at the scene. The passenger was taken by air ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for unspecified injuries.

The identities of the two van occupants have yet to be released.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482