HAVERHILL, Mass. ––  After losing her beloved Siberian Husky in a rollover accident, a northeastern Massachusetts woman is urging owners to find a safer way to transport their pets.

Meredith LoPresti, 23, only suffered minor injuries, but Jasper, was not as lucky; he was thrown from the car, landed 50 feet away and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

A witness who pulled over to assist, placed a blanket over the dog to help calm Lopresti.

In the wake of the tragedy, the East Hampstead resident wants others to know there’s a safer way to transport pets, one that she wishes she had opted for.

As a dog walker and trainer, LoPresti’s line of work allowed her well-trained pooch to tag along practically every day for more than a year.

When he was smaller, she stored him in a crate strapped to the back seat, she said. When he outgrew it, she never got around to purchasing a replacement.

“These crash-tested dog crates can be expensive,” she said. “But they’re worth it. You never know what’s going to happen.”

According to a 2015 study on pet carriers conducted by the Center for Pet Safety and Subaru of America, sturdy pet travel carriers can prevent driver distraction. Proper pet restraint is also critical, they found, for successful crash protection.

After testing several brands, the study named Pet Ego Jet Set Forma Frame with ISOFIX-Latch Connection as the most reliable. It can be purchased online for around $100.

LoPresti does not recall the details of the accident, but according to a police report, several witnesses described a car in the left lane that ran her off the right side of the roadway.

After being briefly airborne, the Subaru Forester reportedly rolled at least four times down an embankment.

Unsure of whether or not such a crate would have saved Jasper’s life, LoPresti continues to question the idea.

LoPresti’s father, Joseph, said “after it happened, she instinctively got out of the car to look for the dog. She lives and breathes that dog. His (second) birthday would have been Monday.”

“The windows were blown out of the car, it was wrecked,” he said. “And Jasper always sat behind her with free range of the back seats. She would fold them down for him.”

His daughter considered herself “Jasper’s chauffeur,” she said.

In 2015, she drove 12 hours to a well-known breeder in Pennsylvania to pick up Jasper. The duo hasn’t been apart for more than 10 days since.

LoPresti and her dad both expressed gratitude to the witnesses who stopped to assist the driver and her beloved canine passenger.

Edelstein writes for the North Andover, Massachusetts Eagle Tribune.