Police: Teen was hit by car after woodchuck startled him along central New York road

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Police say a woodchuck is to blame for the crash that left a central New York teenager hospitalized.

Syracuse police tell The Post-Standard (http://bit.ly/WR3AiV ) that 18-year-old Phillip Lloyd was walking on a grass path along a road on the afternoon of July 11 when he was startled by the animal and went into the road to avoid it.

Officers say the teen was then hit by a vehicle.

Lloyd was originally listed in critical condition at a Syracuse hospital, but has been upgraded to fair condition.

The driver wasn't ticketed.

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Information from: The Post-Standard, http://www.syracuse.com