AP – Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actor best known for her starring role in two ‘Godzilla’ films, died in a car crash in Maryland early Tuesday morning, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office said. She was 18.

Hottle was one of two passengers in the car when it went off the road and hit a culvert in Ijamsville before 3:00 am. The driver was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the other passenger declined medical treatment, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Excessive speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, which is under investigation, the sheriff's office said.

Hottle was a native signer of American Sign Language, and her family members are also deaf.