The driver of a tractor-trailer that crashed and burst into flames early Wednesday morning on Interstate 80 in Kidder Township died, while a passenger was hospitalized.

State police at the Fern Ridge barracks said it happened at 3:41 a.m. near mile marker 279.8 westbound. The driver, who was not identified by either state police or the Carbon County coroner’s office, was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:12 a.m. by Carbon County Coroner Mark Smith.

Police said a passenger, Maftuna Nigmatullaeva, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, was transported by personnel from the Lehighton Ambulance Association to the Geisinger-Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre. Police said the severity of her injuries is unknown.

Police said the crash occurred when the rig was westbound and for unknown reasons it abruptly veered to the left, leaving the highway striking a tree and coming to an uncontrolled rest facing southwest in the center median before catching fire.

The driver was found deceased in the driver’s seat while Nigmatullaeva was found by a passer-by unresponsive outside the vehicle, near the driver’s side.

Police were assisted at the scene by volunteers from the Penn Forest Township, Tunkhannock Township, Albrightsville and Lake Harmony fire departments, Lehighton and Lake Harmony emergency medical services personnel, a local towing service and a trooper from the Stroudsburg barracks.

Smith said that the driver’s identification has not been determined and an autopsy would be conducted today.