A distracted driver reaching for a donut caused a three-car crash on Route 166 between Dewey and Clay Road April 2 at 7:20 a.m., according to Sgt. Aaron Belcher of the Ohio Highway Patrol.
A distracted driver reaching for a donut caused a three-car crash on Route 166 between Dewey and Clay Road April 2 at 7:20 a.m., according to Sgt. Aaron Belcher of the Ohio Highway Patrol.
Nicholas Fleming, 28, of Eastlake was traveling east with his morning coffee and donut when he dropped the donut and went left of center, striking a white Ford Edge that veered off into a field and hit a gray Toyota Civic head on, causing a serious injury, Belcher said.
The driver of the Civic was extricated from the vehicle by Thompson Fire and EMS and transported to University Hospitals Geauga, Belcher said, adding the driver’s injuries were serious but not life threatening.
Fleming was also transported to the hospital.
A 58-year-old woman driving the Edge was treated and released on scene by LeRoy Fire and EMS.
Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation closed the roads in the area and spent nearly three hours reconstructing the accident scene before roads reopened at 11:03 a.m., Belcher said.
Fleming was cited for left of center and failure to control, both minor traffic offenses.
Belcher said the crash remains under investigation, but stressed that distracted driving is dangerous and not confined to only cell phone use.
“This shows exactly how severe a crash can be when you are distracted,” Belcher said. “It can be anything. You can be cited if you reach down to adjust your volume on your cell phone, take off your sunglasses. You have to have both hands on the wheel. It’s not worth your life or anybody else’s life. This could have been a fatal.”
Montville and Hambden Fire Departments also responded to the scene.
