A man was LifeFlighted to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland after the car he was riding in hit a tree overnight on Gulf Road, according to Elyria police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub.

Joseph Sanders, 20, of Elyria, was driving a 1988 Buick Regal northbound on Gulf Road about 1:30 a.m. when he lost control and went left of center, Eichenlaub said. He left the road, and hit a tree on the hillside near 1499 Gulf Road, Eichenlaub said.

A passenger in the car, whose identity had not been confirmed this afternoon, was trapped in the car and had to be removed by firefighters using hydraulic extraction equipment, according to Elyria Fire Chief Rich Benton. He was LifeFlighted to MetroHealth.

Sanders, who wasn’t injured, was charged with wreckless operation, underage consumpion and OVI, according to Eichenlaub.

The LifeFlight helicopter landed on the soccer field at Lorain County Community College, Benton said.

Check back at Chroniclet.com and read Friday’s Chronicle for more information as it becomes available.