[Dispatch=Reporter Kim So-jung] Korean-American actress Kaley Hartel passed away in a traffic accident. She was 18 years old.

Media outlets including AFP reported Kaley Hartel's death on the 21st (local time). According to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, Hartel was involved in an accident in Maryland.

Hartel was in a Honda Accord driven by a 19-year-old man along with another passenger. The vehicle veered off a two-way two-lane road and collided with a drainage structure. Police suspect speeding as the cause.

She was immediately transported to the hospital, but Hartel was ultimately pronounced dead. Her father, Joshua Hartel, also conveyed the news through a live broadcast. The driver and passenger were reported to be unharmed.

Hartel was born to a family with deaf members. Her mother was born in Korea and adopted to the United States. Both parents and Hartel were all deaf and fluent in sign language.

Hartel debuted at age 9. She gained recognition in 2021 when she played the role of Gia in the film "Godzilla vs. Kong." She played a deaf girl who communicates with King Kong through sign language.

Three years later, she reprised the role of Gia in the sequel "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." She also performed the role of Jun in an episode of the American drama "Magnum P.I." season 4.

Following news of Hartel's death, tributes from fellow actors have followed. Millie Bobby Brown, who appeared in "Godzilla vs. Kong," mourned on social media, saying "Kaley, we will miss you so much."

Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin offered condolences, saying "I hope her beauty and talent remain as an eternal memory." Troy Kotsur, the lead actor of the film "CODA," mourned, saying "sadness that cannot be expressed in any words."

The Texas School for the Deaf also stated on social media, "The news of Hartel, a senior student, brings great sorrow and shock," and expressed "deepest condolences to her family, friends, classmates, and all those who loved her."

<Photo=Kaley Hartel SNS>