Newton crash leaves 31-year-old woman dead

A 31-year-old woman died after a single-vehicle crash Wednesday morning in Newton, P.E.I., according to RCMP.

Police say the crash happened at around 5:40 a.m. on Route 111, near Kinkora.

"She was killed upon impact when the vehicle slid off the roadway,down an embankment and collided with a tree. She was the only person in the vehicle," said Cpl. Scott Stevenson.

"We are still investigating the collision at this time. Road conditions at the time were slippery and icy. Some black ice in the area as well. And it appears that the vehicle may have been travelling too fast for the road conditions at that time of the morning."

Police say the investigation also revealed the woman had been using acell phone prior to the crash.

The woman was wearing a seatbelt, Stevenson said.

Island EMS and the Kinkora Fire Department also responded to the crash.

The vehicle, a Saturn Vue, will be getting a mechanical inspection as part of the investigation, said Stevenson.

RCMP remind drivers to use caution and slow down this time of year when the temperatures hover around the freezing mark.

This is the second fatal crash in P.E.I. this week in which RCMP believe icy road conditions were a factor. On Monday, Diane Arsenault, 59, died at the scene after a car left the road, overturned and caught fire in Christopher Cross.