1 killed after car crashes into tree along freeway in Lafayette, officials say

LAFAYETTE, Calif.. (KGO) -- One person was killed after a car went off the road, and crashed into a tree in the East Bay Saturday morning, according to firefighters.

It happened around 4 a.m. on eastbound Highway 24 just west of Pleasant Hill Road in Lafayette.

It took firefighters 45 minutes to remove the driver.

"It was going at a high rate of speed, according to one witness. And where they ended up resting on the freeway, it was against a large tree. So again heavy damage to the car that proved to be a difficult extrication," said Batt. Chief Ross Macumber.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.