Two people escaped serious injury Monday night when their Chevrolet Impala hit a moose while heading southbound on Interstate 29.
Carroll and William Castle, husband and wife from Oakville, Ont., were headed into Grand Forks, traveling over Demers Avenue on the overpass about 8:30 p.m., when they hit the full-grown bull moose in the road, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
"They both were wearing seat belts and the airbags deployed, which saved him from serious injury," North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Kevin Robson said of driver William Castle.
Had William Castle not been wearing his seat belt, serious injuries would have been likely. It appeared as though the moose rolled over the vehicle after it was hit, crushing the windshield and part of the top of the car. The safety belt held Castle in place while the impact of the animal destroyed the roof above him and dash in front of him. The moose lay dead in the median.
The two were treated for minor injuries in an ambulance at the scene. Officials slowed southbound traffic over the bridge on I-29 and on the southbound entrance ramp from Demers Avenue.
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Out of about 16,000 vehicle accidents per year, one-quarter of them involve animals, Robson said.
The Grand Forks Police Department, Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department, Grand Forks Fire Department and Altru Ambulance also responded to the scene.
