JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP — A Niles man was hospitalized after his vehicle collided with a tree on Hess Road in what police believe is an alcohol-related accident early Thursday morning, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies with the department were dispatched to a reported personal injury accident on Hess Road near Pine Lake in Jefferson Township around 1 a.m. that morning. Police learned that a 25-year-old Niles man had been driving north on Hess Road when he lost control of his vehicle and collided with a tree.

Crews with LifeCare Ambulance transported the driver to Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital in Dowagiac for treatment of the injuries he sustained in the collision.

Police believe that alcohol was a factor in the incident, and are continuing to investigate the incident. Authorities are withholding the driver’s name due to the ongoing nature of the case.

The driver was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.