WEDDINGTON — Alexander Donoghue Monk, 19, died in a car accident at 1:15 a.m. Thursday.

Trooper Pat Glass with the N.C. Highway Patrol said Monk was heading east on Beulah Church Road toward Indian Trail when he lost control of the car around a righthand curve and ran off the left side of the road, crashing into a grove of cedar trees. The collision occurred midway between Matthews-Weddington and Twelve-Mile Creek roads.

“The force of the impact killed him immediately,” Glass said. There were no passengers.

Officials estimate that Monk was driving in excess of 80 mph in a 45 mph zone. He was not wearing a seatbelt, and troopers suspect drug use.

Glass said Monk’s mother and 15-year-old brother were notified shortly after the accident. His father was on a business trip. Monk lived with them in Charlotte, about 5 or 6 miles from the crash site. Glass said Monk was heading away from home, but no one knew where he was going.

— Tiffany Lane can be reached at 704-261-2229.