Seat belts may have saved the life of an area teenager during a rollover crash Tuesday morning in St Joseph. Officer Scott Vanover of the St Joseph Police Department says Sam Poirier, 16, lost control of his vehicle at US-36 and I-29.

The Wathena, Kansas teen suffered moderate head injuries and was transported to Heartland. Vanover says the injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, but could have been much worse had Poirier not been wearing safety belts.

Officer Vanover says Poirier was issued a citation for failure to drive on the right side of the road. According to witnesses, the vehicle drifted from the driving lane into the passing lane on US-36 before leaving the roadway and entering the median. That’s where the vehicle slid sideways into a crossover, sending it into the air. Vanover says it flipped and rolled one and a half times.

Vanover says the driver’s parents indicated he was on some kind of medication, but Vanover says the teen may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The accident was reported at 7:32am Tuesday.