Icy roads were a possible factor in an early morning crash that sent one man to the hospital after his sport utility vehicle slammed into a building on Route 8 in Middlesex Township, authorities said.

The driver, Adam Noel, 35, of Claridge, Westmoreland County, suffered an unknown head injury in the wreck about 12:10 a.m. He was taken by ambulance to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. His condition was not available.

Noel was traveling north on Route 8 when he lost control of his 2001 Toyota RAV 4 at the Old Route 8 intersection. It was freezing rain and police described the roads as “slippery” at the time.

The vehicle went off the right side of the road and over a small patch of grass, hit a cement curb, traveled over a portion of the parking lot and into the building, according to police from Middlesex and Penn townships.

No one was in the building owned by United Mining Equipment. The company is apparently using the building for storage.

“The (SUV) hit a concrete pillar holding up the porch roof and a big picture window in the front of the building facing Route 8, but nothing collapsed,” said Middlesex Township police Sgt. Randy Davison.

The front end of the vehicle entered the building constructed of decorative concrete block. Both front airbags in the SUV deployed. It was not immediately known if Noel was wearing a seat belt.

Middlesex Township volunteer firefighters had to use a hydraulic tool to pop open the driver's door to get Noel out. He struck his head in the wreck, police said, but he was conscious and talking.

“He had a big goose egg on his forehead and some blood on his face,” Davison said.

It was unknown if the driver had any other injuries. A Quality Ambulance crew tended to him before he was taken to the hospital.

A representative of the company later showed up at the scene in response to a security alarm.

The SUV was “totaled,” police said. Although damaged, authorities said, the building appeared to be “structurally safe.”

Davison said his investigation is continuing.