MONTEREY — A 19-year-old Monterey High School graduate and Louisiana State University freshman died early Thursday morning after her car was engulfed in flames following an accident.

Danielle Nicole Palmer was traveling south on Louisiana 129 at approximately 2 a.m. when she lost control of the 2008 Nissan Altima she was driving, according to Louisiana State Police spokesperson Scott Moreau.

The car ran off the left side of the road, hit a tree and caught fire.

Monterey Fire Chief Jim Graves said his crew responded to the scene at approximately 2:12 a.m. after a passerby notified the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“It was about one mile south of Paul’s Grocery and a mile south of our station, so we got there pretty quick,” Graves said. “The car was fully engulfed when we got there, but we knocked it right down.”

Graves said his team didn’t leave the scene until approximately 5:30 a.m.

Palmer was reportedly not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Routine toxicology tests are pending and the case is still under investigation.

Palmer graduated from Monterey High School in 2011 and was studying mass communication at LSU.