Driver distracted by dropped cigarette was partially ejected in Meridian rollover crash

A small pickup rolled twice after crashing into the back of a passenger car in Meridian Tuesday night, and the driver of the pickup was partially ejected because he was not wearing a seat belt, police say.

Both the driver of the 1994 Toyota pickup and the 2013 Dodge sedan were transported to the hospital. They are expected to survive their injuries, Meridian Police Lt. Berle Stokes said.

The crash was reported at 6:46 p.m. Tuesday on Ustick Road, west of Locust Grove. Both vehicles involved in the crash were traveling east on Ustick.

Stokes said the driver of the pickup became distracted when he dropped a lit cigarette in his vehicle. He was cited for inattentive driving and failure to wear a seat belt.

The crash blocked both eastbound and westbound traffic on Ustick while police investigated and cleaned up the scene.

Katy Moeller: 2018-377-6413

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 12:05 AM.