A man was airlifted to The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus trauma unit in critical condition after his vehicle slammed into a tree on Crossland Drive in Fitzroy Harbour.

The call came in at about 3:30 p.m. ET.

The man, 72, was driving an SUV alone when he left the road and hit a tree in a backyard, said paramedic spokesman J.P. Trottier.

Someone else driving along Crossland stopped to help the man and administer CPR.

When paramedics arrived the man was having difficulty breathing on his own. He then lost vital signs.

An air ambulance was called and the man was taken to hospital in critical condition, Trottier said. His pulse returned, though he still had difficulty breathing.

Trottier said paramedics believe a medical event led to the crash. The man suffered no obvious physical trauma from the crash, which appeared to have happened at a low rate of speed.