Two well-meaning animal lovers attempting to rescue a stranded kitten on a California freeway inadvertently caused a three-vehicle accident and ultimately failed to catch the cat they were trying to save.
The incident occurred on the CA-91 near Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Javier Navarro. The couple spotted the kitten while driving east and exited the freeway to return in search of the animal. They slowed down to 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour in the carpool lane, the innermost lane, to conduct their search.
Upon locating the kitten, the male passenger exited the vehicle to grab the animal while the female driver blocked traffic, causing a line of cars to form behind them.
As another vehicle approached, it swerved left to avoid a rear-end collision, clipping the rear of another car. This caused a chain reaction that sent the impacted car toward the man holding the kitten. The driver of the second car swerved to avoid hitting the pedestrian, veered across multiple lanes, and collided with a semi-truck.
In the chaos, the man holding the kitten jumped over the center divider to avoid the oncoming vehicle, inadvertently dropping the animal. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the incident, although all three vehicles involved were damaged.
As for the kitten, Officer Navarro reported that it managed to escape unscathed. “He doesn’t get hit, he doesn’t get hurt. He made it across on his own,” Navarro said.
