LAWTON Okla_ Police believe
a medical condition may be to blame for an afternoon accident that sent a
pickup truck across traffic and through a guardrail.
They were
called to the intersection at 38th and Rogers Lane around 2:30 pm Monday after
callers reported the driver of a pickup truck had lost control. He was heading
east on Rogers Lane
when he nearly went down a steep concrete water way.
The entire
corner of the intersection was littered with debris along with a mangled guard
rail and one lane of traffic was shut down. Police said it's a miracle that the
driver looks like he's going to be okay and that no one else was seriously injured.
"It is unknown
why it happened," Lawton Police Lieutenant Bill Jenkins said. "It appears he
veered off, and we didn't notice any skid marks on the roadway. So, it's
unknown, but it doesn't appear that he hit his brakes at all."
Jenkins said
the impact of the crash ripped the toolbox from the truck. He said that's a
good thing for the driver and his dog, who went along for the bumpy ride.
"The tool
box looks like it helped stop the vehicle," Jenkins said. "It fell in front and
wedged underneath the front tire. A black Labrador retriever was in the vehicle
when we got here. She looked to be pretty shaken up."
Jenkins said
the driver was semi-conscious and wasn't sure what had happened and had no idea
just how lucky he was.
"These
motor vehicle collisions can be possibly fatal at these speeds," Jenkins said. "He
jumped the guardrail. It looks like that slowed him down. "The ground is soft
from the rain, so he actually dug into the ground. That helped slow him down
also."
Although the
man was taken to the hospital confused and only semi-conscious, police said he
was up walking around shortly after he arrived. Police sent his dog to the vet
to be checked out also.
