OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A dog with an upset stomach Wednesday led to a driver losing control of a car that could have plunged into Lake Crescent if it had not been stopped by two large trees lining the north bank of the lake, said the Clallam County Fire District No. 2 chief.
The uninjured driver, Apryl Weikel, phoned Fire District No. 2 at about 1:37 p.m., Chief Sam Phillips said.
Weikel had lost control of her mid-sized sedan and driven off the pavement in the 1600 block of East Beach Road, which lies within the boundaries of Olympic National Park, Phillips said.
The car rolled about 25 feet down an embankment on the south side of the road, he said, and came to rest between two large fir trees.
“If the trees hadn’t been there, she would have gone right into the lake, eventually,” Phillips said.
“It was probably 100 feet down to the lake.”
Weikel apparently had become distracted when her dog vomited in the car, Phillips said.
“The canine became ill and distracted the driver,” he said.
Weikel climbed out of the car through the trunk, he added.
Phillips said the car did not leak gasoline.
A total of 11 emergency personnel, including seven District No. 2 staff and two rangers from Olympic National Park, responded to the call, Phillips said.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
