WESTFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts state police say a Connecticut man lost control of his vehicle and veered off the roadway before striking a tree in Westfield, killing the 20-year-old driver on the spot.

Police on Saturday partially identified the man as a Middletown, Conn., resident because authorities are in the process of notifying his family. Investigators say preliminary information indicates that speed was a factor in the crash that occurred at about 4:30 a.m.

Police say the man was heading west on Route 90 when he lost control of the vehicle and went off the shoulder of the roadway. The car struck a tree on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Westfield emergency medical service workers pronounced him dead at the scene.

Authorities continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of the crash.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.