A Tamaqua man was injured in a crash early Saturday morning after he was involved in a violent crash in West Penn Township.

West Penn chief of police Brian Johnson reports the Schuylkill Avenue man was drinking at a popular Allentown club and left around 3 a.m.

As he traveled along Route 309 descending the Blue Mountain he lost control of his Saturn sport utility vehicle, swerving to the right entering the berm.

The vehicle struck an earth culvert, then a tree, coming to rest upright.

The wreckage wasn't discovered until 6 a.m.

Firefighters from West Penn, Community Fire Company of New Ringgold and the New Tripoli fire company worked for over an hour to perform to free the heavily trapped victim.

A heavy wrecker of Soley's towing was utilized to stable the unit as rescuers performed their task.

The man was treated at the scene by members of the Penn Mahoning ambulance and Lehighton paramedics before being flown to an area trauma center.