POLAND – A 65-year-old man who likely dozed off while driving was killed Friday when his vehicle slammed into a tree.

Police withheld the name of the man pending notification of next of kin.

He was eastbound on Route 11 shortly before 12:30 p.m. when his Dodge Durango SUV drifted over the center line, a witness in a car following the man told police.

The man overcorrected and swerved back into his lane, losing control of the SUV. He drove over an embankment and into a gully, then up the other side where the driver’s door slammed into a tree, said Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sgt. Rielly Bryant.

The SUV spun around and rolled onto its side, pinning the passenger’s door to the ground.

Poland paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene, Bryant said. The man was wearing a seat belt and the driver’s side air bags deployed.

Rescue workers had to use metal cutters to free the man from the vehicle, Bryant said.

The road was wet but not snowy or icy, he said. No other factors appeared to play a role in the accident. The likely cause was driver’s fatigue, Bryant said.

“It’s just one of those tragic incidents,” he said.