Iowa driver crashes auto during suicide intervention

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A Des Moines man says he was only trying to scare a suicidal friend into wanting to live.

However, the effort on Sunday went awry when 24-year-old Damon Spartan wrecked his car during the effort.

According to Des Moines police, Spartan told them that he sped toward a pole at a bend in a roadway to scare his friend into wanting to live.

Police say Spartan said he told his friend he wanted to die too. He reportedly said he was pretending to aim the car for the light pole when he lost control, hit a curb and rolled the car.

According to police, neither occupant of the car was seriously injured. The car, a 1997 Audi, sustained an estimated $6,000 in damage.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.