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Driver stops on busy Florida highway for turtle crossing, causes multi-vehicle wreck

'We don't advise causing a road obstruction because of a reptilian obstruction,' Walton County Sheriff's Office says
The Walton County Sheriff's Office said a chain-reaction crash involving a semi and several other vehicles was the result of a driver stopping on U.S. Route 331 to let a turtle cross the highway.
Posted at 8:33 PM, May 16, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-16 20:36:27-04

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — A driver in Florida's Panhandle had good intentions, but their actions resulted in a scary and life-threatening situation.

The Walton County Sheriff's Office posted a message on their Facebook page Tuesday regarding the dangers that result from stopping in the middle of a busy road to help wildlife.

The agency said a chain-reaction crash involving a semi and several other vehicles was the result of a driver stopping on U.S. Route 331 to let a turtle cross the highway.

"We don't advise causing a road obstruction because of a reptilian obstruction," the post said. "While no ill intentions were meant, trying to avoid or assist an animal who has made its way onto a busy road can cause you or other drivers life-threatening injuries."

No one was seriously hurt in the wreck.

The agency said the turtle survived and is now "living happily ever after in a pond where he will (hopefully) spend the rest of his days avoiding pavement of any kind."