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A dog owner causes a crash after falling out of his car with his dog inside.

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Dog owner falls out of car, causes crash

Updated: Wednesday, 25 Jul 2012, 10:11 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 23 Jul 2012, 11:51 PM EDT

Dan Klein

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A dog was the victim of a brief joy ride Monday evening after his owner fell out of the driver's seat causing a crash on Lafayette's east side.

Witnesses said 34-year-old Heath Burgess of Lafayette fell out of his car as he turned onto Creasy Lane from Union Street around 7:00 p.m.

Officers said his car kept going without him, swerving into opposing traffic, traveling a couple hundred feet, sideswiping a car driving north on Creasy before crashing into a mailbox and coming to a rest.

Lafayette Police Sgt. Jeromy Rainey said Burgess was taken to the hospital but was argumentative after the incident.

"It's a little strange," Sgt. Rainey said. "The person fell out of the driver's seat and the only person, the only animal left in the vehicle was a dog as a passenger."

Investigators aren't sure if Burgess hit the door handle by accident or if the door wasn't working properly.

The dog was okay.

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