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SALT LAKE CITY -- A motorcycle carrying a 39-year-old man and a 6-year-old girl struck a recliner chair that fell off a truck on Interstate 15 in Utah County.
Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Jeff Nigbur says the crash occurred about 4 p.m. Saturday near Santaquin.
More than 25,000 automobile crashes are caused by litter annually on North America roads. -UDOT
He says the man was taken by helicopter to Utah Valley Medical Center with injuries that weren't life-threatening. The girl riding on the back of the motorcycle suffered minor injures.
Officials say the two were wearing helmets and are expected to recover.
Nigbur says the crash occurred when a recliner chair fell off a pickup and the motorcycle hit the chair and both riders were thrown.
Troopers say wrecks like these are completely preventable, if people will ensure their cargo is secured.
"All it does is take a little bit more time to tie down the load, strap it down correctly, make sure it doesn't go anywhere, so something like this doesn't happen," Nigbur said.
Troopers encourage people who see debris in the road to call 911 so officers can clear it out of the way.
The driver of the truck was cited for failure to secure a load.
