Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tow hitch crashes through car windshield, narrowly misses small child



7:10 a.m.

Tow hitch crashes through car windshield, narrowly misses small child

statesman journal • February 18, 2010

A 29-year old Milwaukie man and his six-month old son are alive and well after a freak incident Wednesday when a loose trailer hitch bouncing on the road north of Canby crashed through their vehicle's front windshield, Oregon State Police troopers said.

The tow hitch hit the man's chest and forearm and then nearly struck the child in his car seat before coming to rest in the back of the vehicle.

The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. on Highway 99E near milepost 18.

Authorities say Eric Provost, 29, was headed northbound on the road in his 2005 Mazda Tribute, when a tow hitch suddenly bounced off the highway in front of his vehicle and crashed through the left side of the windshield.

"The tow hitch hit the steering wheel with such force that it bent the steering wheel, then it hit Provost's chest and left forearm before striking the ceiling as it missed his son seated in a car seat on the center rear seating area," said OSP Lt. Gregg Hastings.

Provost was taken by a medical helicopter to Oregon Health Sciences University. His injuries are non-life threatening, Hastings said.

The child was not injured, he said.

The investigation has not determined what vehicle the trailer hitch came off from before hitting the car, Hastings said.

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