HENNIKER, N.H. — A 21-year-old man is dead and his 22-year-old companion injured after their car slammed into a tree with such force that the vehicle broke in two.

The accident occurred around 11 p.m. Friday on Weare Road in Henniker.

Police say Matthew Kelleher of Ashland, Mass., lost control while in a curve, veering off the road and into the tree.

Passenger Dana Poole of East Lyme, Conn., was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.

Kelleher was trapped in the wreckage. Police say firefighters pulled him out and he was rushed to Concord Hospital, where he was listed in fair condition today.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.