An elderly woman is dead Friday morning after losing control of her car and crashing into a tree on the Saw Mill River Parkway, police say.

County police have confirmed that the woman, 74-year-old Yanna Brandt, was transported from the scene of the accident to the Westchester County Medical Center, where she passed away.

The accident took place on the northbound side of the parkway, between exits 23 and 25 at around 10:40 a.m. It is still unclear what caused Brandt to drive off the road.

Witnesses say it appears Brandt became distracted by something while she was driving?some say it appears she took her eyes off the road to look for something in her car. Brandt then lost control of her car and veered off the road into a tree, witnesses say.

Westchester police say that any time an accident of this sort happens, the outcome is usually not good, because the human body usually can not sustain injuries caused by this type of accident.

Brandt was an award-winning producer and director for more than four decades, producing the TV version of "The Nutcracker" in the 1970s.