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OREM — An 18-year-old who swerved to avoid hitting a raccoon ended up flipping his car Monday. Police said the driver was wearing a seatbelt and received only minor scrapes and bruises.
The accident occurred near 1400 S. Carterville Road at about 9 a.m., according to Lt. Craig Martinez of the Orem Police Department. He said the driver saw a raccoon crossing the road and swerved in an attempt to miss the animal.
Instead of hitting the raccoon, the driver ended up hitting a cinder block wall, which caused the car to flip and land on its roof, Martinez said. The raccoon was uninjured, but both the cinder block wall and car were damaged.
Martinez reminded drivers to be wary of swerving to avoid animals or debris in the road. In extreme cases, swerving can be a matter of life and death. Martinez recalled an accident from the late 1990’s when he was working as a trooper and a man swerved to avoid hitting an aluminum ladder lying on I-215. The man was ejected from his car as it rolled and later died from his injuries.
“If it’s too late, it’s too late,” Martinez said. “I’ve explained to my kids that if something is in the road, and you didn’t see it a far enough distance away, just hit it. I’d rather pay for damage to a car than have someone get hurt.”
