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SANDY -- A rollover accident Sunday afternoon sent a family of four to the hospital after the driver swerved to miss debris on the road.
The accident occurred at approximately 4 p.m. when a saddlebag fell off a motorcycle near 11500 South on I- 15, said Mary Kaye Lucas of the Utah Highway Patrol. The driver of a nearby SUV swerved to avoid the debris and slammed into a barrier, causing the vehicle to roll several times.
The motorcyclist pulled over in an attempt to retrieve the saddlebag, but wasn't able to get to it before the SUV crashed.
There were four occupants in the vehicle -- two adults, male and female, and two young children. All were transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, Lucas said.
The four occupants in the vehicle were all wearing seat belts, but one of the young girls fell from the vehicle during the final roll.
"It's unknown if she came loose in her seat belt or if it came loose in the rolling of the vehicle," Lucas said. "As far as I know, her injuries are non life threatening."
All four family members were transferred to a nearby hospital. Their names and conditions have not been released at this time.
"Most of the time drivers tend to react very quickly. Their instincts tell them to jerk the steering wheel to the side, which in a lot of cases it's actually more harmful than it is good," Lucas warned. "You're more likely to do less damage just by hitting the object in the road and then pulling to the side of the road than try to swerve and avoid it."
