SOUTH KINGSTOWN — A University of Rhode Island business student was in fair condition at Rhode Island Hospital yesterday after the moped he was driving crashed into a guard rail during a senior week trip to Block Island.

Robert A. Braithwaite, 22, was southbound on Corn Neck Road around 3 p.m. Tuesday when the moped hit a guard rail at Andy’s Way and he was thrown from the bike and slid under the barrier, Chief Vincent Carlone said.

Braithwaite was flown to Rhode Island Hospital, where a spokesman yesterday said he was in fair condition.

“I don’t know how he survived,” Carlone said. He declined to specify what type of injuries Braithwaite had.

A senior from Long Valley, N.J., Braithwaite was among a few hundred students who headed to the island as part of senior week activities. Ballard’s Inn, a popular restaurant in Old Harbor, held a buffet for the students, Carlone said.

The trip and other senior week events are organized by students and are not endorsed, sponsored or encouraged by the university, URI spokesman Dave Lavallee said.

Braithwaite was riding with others when the accident occurred, Carlone said. Police believe he was wearing a helmet.

It was unclear where Braithwaite, who was not charged, was going or if he attended those festivities, Carlone said. An investigation was continuing.

Braithwaite is scheduled to participate in Sunday’s commencement ceremony, though he was not due to complete his degree requirements until August, Lavallee said.