The operator was pronounced dead at the scene.
WESTFIELD - Police are investigating a fatal crash that happened early Saturday morning.
According to a Police Department press release, the accident was reported just after 2:30 a.m. on Shaker Road, in the area of Shaker Farms Country Club.
The driver, who was wearing a seat belt, was driving east on Shaker Road and lost control of the vehicle as it started to negotiate a curve, police said. The vehicle then slid sideways across the westbound lane, left the roadway and struck a tree with its passenger side.
The operator, whose identity is not being released pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The operator was alone in the vehicle.
Police said the roadway was closed for approximately four hours. Westfield police and the state police collision analysis and reconstruction section are investigating.