A crash cushion and seatbelt saved the life of a man and his dog last Thursday morning. The red SUV was heading east near the on ramp by Alberton. When it hit the guard rail and flipped. It came to rest on its roof, and the single passenger, along with his dog, crawled out.

He was sitting on the guard rail when highway patrolman, Timothy Templeton arrived shortly before 7 a.m. The unidentified man refused going to the hospital.

“His dog was a little banged up, but the man was uninjured,” said Templeton.

Templeton credited the crash cushion on the guard rail for saving the man from serious injury, along with his seatbelt. The cushion, which is located at the front of the rail, reduces damage to vehicles by absorbing some of the impact and slows it down.

Highway traffic near mile marker 75 was diverted over the on and off ramps while crews cleaned up the wreckage. Both lanes were reopened to traffic by 9:30 a.m.