Lap dog blamed for deadly crash
Oct 17, 2012, 1:30 PM | Updated: Oct 18, 2012, 2:31 pm
The state patrol says a small dog that caused a fatal crash looked like a chihuahua. (Photo: AP file)
(Photo: AP file)
A tiny dog might be to blame for a deadly crash near Gig Harbor.
The Washington State Patrol was called to SR 302 Wednesday after a car crossed over the center line and slammed head-on into another vehicle. Trooper Guy Gill says a 47-year-old woman from Gig Harbor died instantly in the crash and so did her dog.
“To me it looked like a chihuahua. It was a small black dog,” says Gill.
It took special fire apparatus to remove the bodies of the driver and her pet from the wreckage. Gill says it was pretty clear the dog was sitting in her lap and did not travel there after the crash.
“Maybe the dog in her lap would have distracted her just enough to get over the center line,” says Gill. “And at that point, you know, it only takes once and often times you can’t react quick enough to right your vehicle.”
In the second car, a woman and her daughter were hurt. The girl was in fair condition Wednesday afternoon. Her mom has more serious injuries to her legs, but she is expected to survive.
There is no evidence weather, drugs or alcohol played a role in the accident. There is no law against dogs sitting in the laps of drivers, but Gill says a driver can be cited if the animal becomes a distraction.
