Deseret News | Effort to grab escaped gerbil wreaks havoc

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Effort to grab escaped gerbil wreaks havoc

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A Driver | 6:38 a.m. June 18, 2008

Please. Let's raise the age for drivers licenses to 18 or 21 like in other countries.

D.W.D. | 7:29 a.m. June 18, 2008

At least she was not texting or talking on the cell, then that would have been ... THE SAME!

Anonymous | 7:32 a.m. June 18, 2008

Why was there no citation given?

Comments continue below

Pam | 7:32 a.m. June 18, 2008

What if people had died because of a stupid gerbil. Good grief - get your priorities straight. And teach young people to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road or they could change the lives of many with one stupid action.

Escape | 7:39 a.m. June 18, 2008

"...pet gerbil escaped from the cage."
I can picture it now in one paw a miniture hacksaw & in the other paw a rope made from prison linen, as he made a break for freedom the long-arm of the law reached for him. Dodging left, then right, then left again the law was distracted from the road, crashing into parked cars. As the door flung open the mighty gerbil leaps from the car & into gerbil folklore, pausing for a moment, turning with his blue & white painted face & screaming with all his might ... "FREEDOM!" ... Gary the gerbil, myth, legend, lore!

not cited? | 7:40 a.m. June 18, 2008

That's ridiculous.

distracted | 7:46 a.m. June 18, 2008

I was able to avoid a collision with a vehicle on I215 being drived erratically from side to side and at an inconsistent speed up and down between 35 and 70. I wondered if the driver was having a seizure or something. No. A young woman holding a drink in one hand, texting on a cell with the other. Not sure how she was steering.

Mike | 7:49 a.m. June 18, 2008

The driver who caused the whole accident wasn't cited???

Perhaps the police officer knows she'll have nothing left after getting sued for her absolute idiocy?

Mike | 7:53 a.m. June 18, 2008

Here's your sign.

Citation | 7:57 a.m. June 18, 2008

Why wasn't she cited? This sounds like something along the lines of "Driving without due care and attention".

jr | 8:08 a.m. June 18, 2008

Why no citation, that was totally careless on the drivers part and two people are left injured and not doubt will have some medical expenses that the driver should be responsible for. Shame on the officer for not issuing a citation - only in Utah County and what is the name of the reckless driver or is she related to someone higher up

NOT CITED???? | 8:10 a.m. June 18, 2008

And why is this article written as if the incident was funny? Two people were injured.

"Here's Your Sign" | 8:28 a.m. June 18, 2008

*laughing @ Mike*

Very funny!

Irresponsible | 8:49 a.m. June 18, 2008

I, too, am amazed that this driver wasn't cited. (Inattentive driving?)

A driver of a motor vehicle has to realize that (s)he is controlling a 3000-pound steel missile, capable of inflicting fatal injuries. "Severe compound fracture" is no laughing matter - the two victims of this incident will have lengthy rehabilitation, will likely be unable to work for months, and will also likely go through the rest of their days walking painfully and with a limp.

If you can't control your vehicle 100%, GET OFF THE ROAD!!!

Lynette N. | 8:55 a.m. June 18, 2008

I don't think the article was funny at all. Two people received broken legs as a result of a careless teen-aged driver. Lucky for the girl, she was going under the speed limit, which ultimately saved those two injured people's lives. Hopefully this is a lesson to all of us to pull over when there is a major distraction in the car that we can't ignore -- whether it's a pet or your cell phone ringing on the seat next to you, or your children screaming at each other in the back seat.

Randall | 1:39 p.m. June 18, 2008

She should have been cited.

Bill | 1:53 p.m. June 18, 2008

She wasn't cited because there will be an enormous suit filed over this against the girl, her insurance carrier, and her parents. The officer knows he will be subpoenaed to testify; he doesn't want the girl's insurance carrier's attorney challenging him about whether she deserved the citation or not. Better to let the two competing sides resolve this and apportion blame with minimal involvement from the officer.

Liability seems obvious here, so the parties will likely settle unless the injured parties want to seek extraordinary damages.

The girl should have her license suspended for ten years for being a moron.

coltakashi | 3:50 p.m. June 18, 2008

I would venture to say that the entity with the most intelligence in the moving vehicle was the gerbil.

Chris | 5:03 p.m. June 18, 2008

This is the kind of person that is a true danger to society. She needs to be locked up for a good while to send a message to other people who drive with their pet on their laps or other completely avoidable distractions.

citing is as citing does | 7:34 p.m. June 19, 2008

This driver was not cited? Incredibly frustrating to this driver who was cited for failure to stay in my lane when I went off the road after hitting black ice. What even-handed justice.

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