Allan Jamar Ford killed, passenger slightly injured after high speed crash on I-77.

One person was killed in a car accident on I-77 Sunday night, according to a release from the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

The wreck happened on I-77 northbound near the 28-mile marker, just south of Catawba Avenue.

Witnesses told officials that a 2007 Buick Lucerne was driving at a high rate of speed when the driver attempted to pass another vehicle on the left shoulder. The vehicle then lost control, came back onto the interstate and struck the guardrail on the right side of the interstate before becoming airborne and went down an embankment.

The driver, later identified as 26-year-old Allan Jamar Ford, of Cleveland, N.C., was thrown from the vehicle. He was pronounced deceased while being transported to Carolinas Medical Center.

The passenger in the vehicle, a 33-year-old woman who also owned the vehicle, suffered minor injuries.

The passenger told officials that she and Ford had been drinking before the accident. Troopers said that based on evidence found at the scene, they believe alcohol and speed were both contributing factors to the accident.