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It’s common sense to try and avoid impact with an animal on the road, but at the end of the day, it’s preferable to hit the animal than to cause an even bigger accident by swerving and losing control of your car.
One woman from Traverse City, Michigan, was driving on Washington Street when she noticed a squirrel in the middle of the road, the Detroit Free Press reports. The 82-year-old driver opted to try and avoid impact – and triggered a chain of events that could have easily cost her life.
“In an effort to save a squirrel, an 82-year-old woman swerved, struck a parked car and then flipped her car,” the publication reports. There is no mention of the speed she was traveling at, but taking into consideration the age of the driver, she was most likely not going over the limit.
“The driver got out of the car from the help of a witness,” the same publication says. “As she refused to go to the hospital, the woman walked away with minor scrapes and bruises. Police issued the driver with a citation for driving without due care and caution.”
While the woman’s gesture bespeaks a kind and generous heart, she proved a reckless driver in choosing to spare the squirrel. As police often remind drivers during mating season for certain wildlife, when the number of animal-car collisions increases, when in such a situation, it’s best to try and pull over until the animal has cleared the road.
If that’s not a possibility, drivers should continue on their road, even if that means killing the poor animal. At the end of the day, a dead animal is preferable to a dead driver and maybe even other casualty. Or, as was the case of this woman, a dead squirrel would have been preferable to 2 wrecked cars and one shook-up granny.
“In an effort to save a squirrel, an 82-year-old woman swerved, struck a parked car and then flipped her car,” the publication reports. There is no mention of the speed she was traveling at, but taking into consideration the age of the driver, she was most likely not going over the limit.
“The driver got out of the car from the help of a witness,” the same publication says. “As she refused to go to the hospital, the woman walked away with minor scrapes and bruises. Police issued the driver with a citation for driving without due care and caution.”
While the woman’s gesture bespeaks a kind and generous heart, she proved a reckless driver in choosing to spare the squirrel. As police often remind drivers during mating season for certain wildlife, when the number of animal-car collisions increases, when in such a situation, it’s best to try and pull over until the animal has cleared the road.
If that’s not a possibility, drivers should continue on their road, even if that means killing the poor animal. At the end of the day, a dead animal is preferable to a dead driver and maybe even other casualty. Or, as was the case of this woman, a dead squirrel would have been preferable to 2 wrecked cars and one shook-up granny.
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