ROBERT - A fatal car crash claimed the life of a 37-year-old Madisonville woman, Tuesday afternoon.

Louisiana State Police say Charlene L. Fontana was a passenger in 38-year-old Jason Sullivan's Ford Explorer as he drove west on I-12 in Tangipahoa Parish.

But when Sullivan was near LA 445, for reasons that are currently unclear to authorities, he swerved off the roadway and crashed into a tree. 

Both Sullivan and Fontana, who were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, were rushed to an area hospital with serious injuries.

Fontana succumbed to her injuries at the hospital and the crash remains under investigation.

Authorities say at this time impairment is not suspected on Sullivan's part, but in harmony with police procedure, a blood sample was collected from him for analysis.

Should an investigation yield information that leads to criminal charges, these will be forwarded to the Tanigpahoa Parish District Attorney's Office.