Two children were hurt in a single-car crash Thursday, after the driver swerved to miss hitting a squirrel, as first reported by Decaturish.com.
When Decatur police got to the 600 block of Kirk Road, shortly after 5 p.m., an overturned SUV lay at the bottom of a ravine. Lt. Jennifer Ross, a spokeswoman for Decatur police, said the van flipped completely upside down with five people inside.
A 10-year-old and a 2-year old in the car were taken to a local hospital to be treated for cuts, Ross said.
The driver told police she saw a squirrel before veering off the road, hitting large decorative rocks and landing in the ravine. She was given a ticket for failure to maintain lane.
Ross said police don’t recommend drivers swerve for animals in the road.
“Sudden, over-corrective maneuvers are not advised to avoid hitting an animal,” Ross said. “Such maneuvers can result in a vehicle leaving the roadway and/or overturning, as it did in this incident.
She said most animals will move out of the way faster than a driver can react.
