After hitting a fire hydrant, a white Ford Explorer ended up on its side in Mammoth. Over the counter medications may have contributed to this incident which left the driver, a Mammoth man, with minor injuries.

According to Mammoth Police Sergeant Karen Smart, the driver of a white Ford Explorer hit a fire hydrant. When bystanders asked the driver if he was all right, Smart reports that the man said he was fine, then put the car in reverse and drove off. Witnesses said the man appeared groggy and not all there, Sgt. Smart says. Police responded, then went searching for the Explorer, which was soon called in as a vehicle rollover on Canyon Blvd. and Horseshoe.

When officers arrived on scene at Canyon, the Explorer was on its passenger side and the driver had suffered minor to moderate injuries including cuts and was taken to Mammoth Hospital. Police did not arrest the driver, but Sgt. Smart says that the case was referred to the DAs office for a possible charge of impaired driving under the drug section of Driving Under the Influence.

Sgt. Smart reports that officers have no indication that the driver was on an illegal narcotic, but that it is possible the driver had taken an over the counter cough, cold, or flu medication. Luckily he didnt hurt anyone, she added.

Over the counter medications affect people in different ways. Sgt. Smart urges caution. Even over the counter medications can impair your motor skills and reaction time, she said.

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