10:10 a.m.
Thursday, July 7, 2016 10:10 am

I'll never forget going into the doctor's office to get treated for a cut a while back and watching a man walking out on crutches, with a cast on his elbow and bandages on his head.

I whispered to the doctor while nodding silently at the man as he walked by, "Car accident?"

"Yes," the doctor whispered drawing nearer. "He tried to avoid a squirrel and crashed over an embankment and rolled over into a brook."

A similar accident happened in Lebanon on Wednesday morning when a motorist crashed into a utility pole near the corner of Center and TM Wentworth roads in West Lebanon.

Lebanon Fire-EMS reported that the driver said they were trying to avoid a squirrel when the accident occurred.

Luckily the injuries were said to be only minor.

But they could have just as easily been serious.

Now I know a lot of people of a certain age may fondly remember Rocky from Rocky and Bullwinkle fame and younger people may think of Sandy, a sidekick on SpongeBob SquarePants, as a beloved character, but folks, let's remember this.
They're rodents. Take away the squirrel's cute, bushy tail and you're looking at a rather large unattractive rat. (Question: Is there such a thing as an attractive rat?)

Hey, don't get me wrong. I've braked for many, many squirrels in my day.

But I've done a few in as well, truth be told.

What it comes down to is this. You have to realize in a split second, if there is any, I mean any, risk to you and the passengers in your car.

If there is, even a hint, you got to schmush the little feller.

You know how in baseball a tie goes to the runner?

Well, when it comes down to a possible accident, the tie goes to you, not the squirrel.