(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., AP) — The Missouri House speaker says state Rep. Bill Lant has been hospitalized after a serious car accident.

In a Monday email to lawmakers and staff obtained by The Associated Press, House Speaker Todd Richardson said Lant was taken to an intensive care unit after an accident that morning.

Richardson says there “is reason to be optimistic at this time.” He says Lant’s family is waiting for more information on his condition.

Lant’s office referred comment to the House chief clerk, who did not immediately return an AP request for comment Monday.

Lant is a Republican from Pineville in southwest Missouri. He represents Newton and McDonald counties and has been in office since 2011.