NORTH BEND – A single-car accident early Saturday morning on Middle Fork Road killed Shanti Cooley, 23, of Tacoma, and injured Aaron Vaughn, 26, also of Tacoma.

The accident occurred sometime between 9:30 and 10:45 a.m., 2.8 miles from the end of the pavement on Middle Fork Road, law-enforcement officials said. Vaughn was driving the 1994 Chevrolet Blazer when it left the road. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center and remains in critical condition with a head injury.

Cooley, the vehicle’s passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office listed the cause of her death as blunt-force injury to the head and neck. A dog inside the car was also injured.

Det. Dave Wells, of the Major Accident Response and Reconstruction Department for the King County Sheriff’s Office said weather conditions at the time of the accident were clear, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.