Grace Jacobson / News Director

A man is in the hospital after he fell asleep at-the-wheel and crashed in Stearns County.

The crash happened just before noon on Tuesday.

Stearns County Sheriffs say a 63-year-old man from Burtrum crashed into a tree on County Road 9 in Avon Township near the dairy farm.

The man says he fell asleep at-the-wheel as he entered the curve.

That’s when his car went off the road and struck a tree.

He says he was wearing a seatbelt.

He managed to crawl from the car before it then started on fire.

No one else was in the car at the time of the crash.

The man is being treated at the St. Cloud Hospital for his injuries.