CANTON, Ohio — Troopers from the Canton Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to a crash Tuesday morning on State Route 43 between 17th Street SE and Millerton Street SE.
The crash happened Tuesday morning around 10:30. When troopers arrived at the scene, they found a Carrollton man driving a 2005 Ford Ranger had crashed into an ambulance.
The driver of the Ford was traveling north on State Route 43 and while going around a curve, troopers say he dropped his cell phone. As he was reaching for his cell phone, troopers say he traveled left of center and hit the ambulance.
A driver and passenger were in the ambulance, but there were no patients inside.
The driver of the Ford and two occupants of the ambulance were taken to Aultman Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Troopers warn that it is very dangerous for drivers to take their eyes off the road even for a second and serious crashes can be a result.
“When you take your eyes off the road - even for just a few seconds - you are putting your life and the lives of others in danger,” said Lieutenant Leo Shirkey, Canton Post Commander. “Driving distracted is unsafe, irresponsible and its consequences can be devastating for families.”
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says distracted driving is any non-driving activity that has the potential to draw a driver's focus away from the road, increasing the risk of crashing. Distractions can be visual, taking eyes off of the road; manual, taking hands off the wheel; or cognitive, taking the mind off driving. Texting while driving is an example that combines all three types of distraction. Sending or receiving a text message takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field when traveling at 55 mph.
